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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 116 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
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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: content · spring · saw · race · tube · march · rock · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. content — happy
  3. rock — a stone
  4. march — the month
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. race — a contest
  9. rock — music
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. spring — a coil
  12. march — the month
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. saw — the tool
  15. race — the arms race
  16. content — the amount
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. march — music
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. race — humankind
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. patient — a sick person

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