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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 · dip · pit · pop · mate · land · rush · patient

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. land — to come down
  3. pop — music
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. land — a country
  6. pit — a hole
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pop — soda
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pop — to visit
  12. dip — to sink
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mate — a partner
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pit — in a race
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. tube — a container
  22. mate — to breed
  23. land — ground
  24. rush — a thrill

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