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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: hide · object · tube · plane · content · field · chest · patient

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. chest — a box
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. content — happy
  8. object — an aim
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. plane — a tool
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. field — farmland
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. field — a subject
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. object — to protest
  19. tube — the underground
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — for sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. object — a thing
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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