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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
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: tube · bear · season · rush · patient · pitcher · cap · fan

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cap — a lid
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. tube — a container
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cap — a hat
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cap — of ice
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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