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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: fan · date · bowl · tube · calf · rush · march · patient

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. march — the month
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tube — a container
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rush — hurry
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. patient — a sick person

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