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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: tube · roll · patient · wave · kick · court · present · tear

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. present — a gift
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. tear — from crying
  7. present — the time now
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. court — for sport
  12. present — there
  13. tube — a container
  14. tear — to rip
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — a list
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kick — in football
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tear — from crying

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