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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: chair · file · fork · patient · ground · date · tube · squash

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. tube — a container
  6. fork — in a road
  7. file — a tool
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. file — a line of people
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — a position
  13. squash — the sport
  14. chair — a leader
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. file — a document
  19. ground — crushed
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. tube — the underground
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ground — the earth
  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