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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 116 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 · fork · saw · tube · ground · patient · stick · tear

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. tube — a container
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tear — to rip
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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