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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: patient · game · bound · toast · last · tube · file · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. tube — the underground
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. tube — a container
  7. toast — bread
  8. file — a document
  9. bound — obliged
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. game — a match
  14. last — finally
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bound — certain
  17. last — to go on
  18. bound — tied together
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. last — final
  24. file — a tool

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