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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: bay · cabinet · wind · current · tube · spell · root · patient

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. current — happening now
  3. tube — the underground
  4. spell — letters
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. tube — a container
  13. current — of water
  14. wind — moving air
  15. root — of a word
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. root — the cause
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. current — electric
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cabinet — ministers

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