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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.

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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: dip · row · tube · content · current · patient · deal · tear

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. content — happy
  3. tube — a container
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. current — electric
  6. tear — from crying
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. content — the amount
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. tear — from crying
  16. dip — to sink
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tear — to rip

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