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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: patient · cap · straw · bear · scale · pitcher · tube · chair

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bear — the animal
  6. scale — in music
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cap — of ice
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cap — a hat
  23. scale — size or range
  24. chair — a professorship

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