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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: toast · straw · cold · last · fan · patient · racket · tube

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cold — not warm
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. last — finally
  15. cold — an illness
  16. toast — bread
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. last — to go on
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. last — final

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