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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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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: tear · tube · last · rest · mark · patient · pound · roll

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. roll — a list
  3. mark — a trace
  4. rest — a break
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — final
  12. tear — from crying
  13. last — to go on
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pound — a weight
  16. mark — a grade
  17. last — finally
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. rest — what's left
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. roll — a cake
  24. tube — the underground

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