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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: arm · lie · tube · plane · mug · mine · sharp · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. lie — to recline
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. tube — the underground
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a face
  12. plane — a tool
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. sharp — clever
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. tube — a container
  24. sharp — with an edge

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