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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: racket · patient · tube · cold · bear · staff · pit · current

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tube — a container
  3. bear — the animal
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. staff — a stick
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bear — the animal
  8. staff — employees
  9. pit — in a race
  10. current — of water
  11. staff — employees
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. cold — an illness
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pit — a hole
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. tube — in a tire

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