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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: game · snap · pop · tube · lie · patient · file · track

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. track — a path
  4. game — a match
  5. pop — soda
  6. track — to keep track
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. file — a line of people
  9. snap — to click
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. file — a tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pop — to visit
  15. tube — a container
  16. lie — to recline
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. file — a document
  20. game — wild animals
  21. track — a song
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pop — music
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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