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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rest — a break
  11. rash — a series
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mug — to rob
  16. prune — to trim
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rash — hasty
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rest — what's left
  22. can — a tin
  23. kid — child
  24. mug — a face

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