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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 120 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: arm · key · bay · cold · tube · pound · patient · mug

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. key — for a lock
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. tube — the underground
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mug — a face
  19. key — in music
  20. cold — an illness
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. tube — in a tire

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