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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: perch · tube · key · rash · mine · patient · last · tear

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. tear — from crying
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. last — final
  5. rash — a series
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. last — to go on
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rash — hasty
  12. key — the most important part
  13. tube — a container
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. last — finally
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mine — for digging
  21. tear — from crying
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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