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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
468
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: last · content · wound · patient · tube · perch · mine · bulb

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. perch — the fish
  4. last — final
  5. bulb — for light
  6. last — finally
  7. content — the amount
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wound — an injury
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tube — the underground
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. tube — a container
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mine — for digging
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. content — happy
  22. last — to go on
  23. bulb — for light
  24. content — videos and posts

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