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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: key · patient · trunk · club · tube · date · mouse · shower

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. key — the most important part
  5. club — for golf
  6. shower — rain
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. shower — to wash
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. club — a group
  11. key — for a lock
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. key — in music
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. club — for dancing
  19. date — the fruit
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mouse — for a computer

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