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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
468
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: ball · content · patient · mine · rest · tube · foot · wake

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. foot — a measure
  3. content — happy
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. content — the amount
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wake — a trail
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — the underground
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ball — a dance
  21. rest — a break
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. mine — for digging
  24. ball — a great time

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