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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: stand · patient · saw · deal · tube · lie · chest · wound

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tube — a container
  7. chest — a box
  8. wound — an injury
  9. deal — to handle
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stand — to bear
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. tube — the underground
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lie — to recline
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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