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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stand · lash · chip · patient · last · tube · capital · hand

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. last — final
  3. capital — money
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. capital — a city
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chip — to eat
  9. hand — help
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. last — finally
  14. tube — the underground
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. chip — for betting
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. hand — in cards
  21. last — to go on
  22. stand — to bear
  23. tube — a container
  24. patient — a sick person

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