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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: bowl · hand · tube · chest · season · can · pass · patient

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. season — of the year
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. hand — in cards
  9. can — to be able to
  10. tube — the underground
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — a container
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pass — a permit
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. season — in sport
  21. can — a tin
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. hand — help
  24. chest — of your body

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