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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: fine · patient · sharp · stick · hand · hide · tube · mate

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. sharp — clever
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mate — a friend
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — help
  17. mate — a partner
  18. fine — all right
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. mate — to breed
  24. sharp — exactly

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