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

Word bank: fall · club · tube · stem · file · patient

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. file — a tool
  3. club — for golf
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stem — to come from
  6. file — a document
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fall — the season
  9. tube — a container
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. tube — the underground
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fall — to drop
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. club — a group
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. file — a line of people

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