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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: lie · patient · cap · safe · season · wound · tube · mug

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. season — of the year
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mug — to rob
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mug — a cup
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mug — a face
  16. wound — an injury
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cap — a hat
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cap — of ice
  21. lie — to recline
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. season — in sport
  24. lie — an untruth

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