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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bass — the fish
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chip — to eat
  7. tube — the underground
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. march — the month
  10. root — the cause
  11. march — the month
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pass — a permit
  16. root — of a word
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. tube — a container
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com