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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rash — a series
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. staff — employees
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. staff — employees
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rash — hasty
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. snap — to click
  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