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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: tube · lie · jam · pop · court · date · patient · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pop — to visit
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. tube — the underground
  6. rash — hasty
  7. court — of a king
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. pop — music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. court — for sport
  16. pop — soda
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. date — the fruit
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. court — of law
  24. tube — a container

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