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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
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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: patient · suit · mug · sharp · bat · spring · saw · tube

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. tube — a container
  4. bat — the animal
  5. mug — a cup
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spring — of water
  8. suit — to fit
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. spring — a coil
  12. suit — clothes
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. sharp — clever
  17. saw — the tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spring — the season
  20. suit — in cards
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mug — a face
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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