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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 116 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: tube · march · nail · cap · rash · patient · firm · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. march — music
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. march — the month
  11. firm — a company
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cap — of ice
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cap — a lid
  18. march — the month
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rash — a series
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — decided

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