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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: tube · patient · bear · bound · plane · land · pitch · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. game — a match
  2. pitch — completely
  3. land — a country
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bear — the animal
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bound — certain
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tube — a container
  13. bound — obliged
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. land — to come down
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. land — ground
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bear — to put up with
  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