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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: chair · squash · bear · patient · tube · rule · pound · suit

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. squash — the sport
  5. suit — to fit
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. suit — clothes
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rule — a law
  11. bear — the animal
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rule — government
  21. tube — a container
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. suit — in cards
  24. tube — the underground

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