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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 124 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. face — part of the head
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. face — to confront
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bass — low music
  14. toast — bread
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tube — a container
  21. stem — to come from
  22. face — to point toward
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. tube — in a tire

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