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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stem — to come from
  5. land — a country
  6. net — for catching
  7. kid — child
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. land — to come down
  10. club — for golf
  11. bank — for money
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bank — of a river
  14. net — in sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. net — after costs
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. club — a group
  19. bank — for money
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. land — ground
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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