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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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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: cell · last · patient · toast · mine · tube · mate · fork

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mate — a partner
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tube — a container
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cell — in biology
  15. last — final
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mate — to breed

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