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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
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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: prune · scale · tube · cold · patient · charge · pit · mine

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. tube — the underground
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. charge — in control
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pit — in a race
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mine — for digging
  16. prune — to trim
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cold — an illness
  19. prune — to trim
  20. scale — in music
  21. cold — not warm
  22. charge — a price
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. patient — a sick person

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