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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 120 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: row · patient · nail · bore · trunk · march · bay · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. row — a line
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. march — the month
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bore — to drill
  18. tube — a container
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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