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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
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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: bear · patient · pit · tube · scale · season · file · ground

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pit — in a race
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. scale — in music
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. tube — the underground
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bear — the animal
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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