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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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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: racket · patient · last · spring · saw · tube · wave · roll

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spring — of water
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. last — final
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. saw — the tool
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — a cake
  12. spring — the season
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. tube — the underground
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tube — a container
  20. last — to go on
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wave — of the sea

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