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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: tube · cap · stick · snap · row · bass · patient · trunk

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. row — to paddle
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bass — low music
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. row — a line
  13. bass — the fish
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. tube — the underground
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. tube — a container
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cap — a lid
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. snap — to click

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