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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: coach · saw · tear · pit · tube · patient · court · bay

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. tear — to rip
  4. court — of law
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — for sport
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. tear — from crying
  13. court — of a king
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. tube — the underground
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. tear — from crying

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