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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: board · deal · tube · patient · land · saw · rash · roll

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. board — a committee
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. land — ground
  11. deal — to handle
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tube — the underground
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rash — a series
  18. land — to come down
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. board — to get on
  21. roll — a list
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. land — a country
  24. roll — a cake

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