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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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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: wind · cap · patient · mouse · tube · pitch · mine · net

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. net — after costs
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wind — moving air
  9. net — in sport
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cap — a lid
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. tube — a container
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. net — for catching

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