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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: root · tube · file · patient · tear · chair · bound · cue

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cue — a signal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tear — from crying
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. file — a line of people
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bound — tied together
  22. tube — a container
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. root — the cause

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