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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: spring · patient · perch · mouse · firm · race · chip · tube

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. firm — a company
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. firm — steady
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tube — a container
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. spring — of water
  13. chip — to eat
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. race — a contest
  17. spring — a coil
  18. race — humankind
  19. firm — decided
  20. tube — the underground
  21. spring — the season
  22. perch — the fish
  23. chip — for betting
  24. race — the arms race

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