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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: hand · patient · roll · can · tube · capital · scale · board

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. scale — size or range
  3. board — to get on
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. tube — the underground
  7. hand — help
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. can — to be able to
  13. tube — a container
  14. can — a tin
  15. roll — a list
  16. board — a committee
  17. can — a tin
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. roll — a cake
  21. capital — a city
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. patient — a sick person

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