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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: date · staff · patient · dip · clip · coach · plane · tube

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. plane — a tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. staff — employees
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. tube — a container
  9. date — the fruit
  10. clip — for paper
  11. dip — to sink
  12. tube — the underground
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. staff — employees
  16. clip — to cut
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. clip — a video
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. staff — a stick
  24. plane — in geometry

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