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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
468
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: wake · row · ground · mouse · mark · patient · tube · kid

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. ground — a position
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a trace
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. tube — a container
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. kid — child
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. ground — the earth

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