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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 120 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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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: march · net · tube · mine · wax · patient · plane · pit

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. tube — a container
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pit — a hole
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. march — the month
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. march — music
  10. net — after costs
  11. tube — the underground
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pit — in a race
  15. march — the month
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. net — in sport
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. net — for catching
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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