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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: rush · tube · patient · game · straw · land · pass · key

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. land — ground
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pass — a permit
  6. tube — the underground
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. tube — a container
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. key — the most important part
  15. land — to come down
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. game — a match
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — wild animals
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. land — a country
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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