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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.

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: patient · dip · wake · club · bat · tube · net · toast

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  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. club — for golf
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wake — a trail
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. net — in sport
  8. bat — the animal
  9. net — for catching
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. dip — to sink
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. net — after costs
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. tube — a container
  23. toast — bread
  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