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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.

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: saw · date · pound · tube · patient · wound · toast · game

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. toast — bread
  5. game — wild animals
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pound — a weight
  9. tube — a container
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. game — a match
  14. wound — an injury
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. date — the fruit
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. toast — the most admired

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