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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: snap · patient · tube · march · present · rash · kick · fine

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. kick — in football
  4. march — the month
  5. tube — the underground
  6. present — the time now
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rash — hasty
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. present — a gift
  17. rash — a series
  18. fine — all right
  19. present — there
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. snap — to click
  24. fine — high quality

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