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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 116 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: kid · game · tube · march · bear · object · patient · bay

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. march — the month
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. march — music
  13. tube — a container
  14. bear — the animal
  15. kid — child
  16. object — a thing
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. game — wild animals
  19. kid — to tease
  20. march — the month
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. tube — in a tire

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