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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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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: fork · cell · patient · lash · bank · tube · cap · rule

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bank — for money
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tube — a container
  7. cap — of ice
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rule — government
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cell — a phone
  22. tube — the underground
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rule — a law

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