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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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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. row — a line
  10. rock — music
  11. staff — employees
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. drill — army training
  16. staff — a stick
  17. kid — to tease
  18. drill — a practice
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rock — a stone
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. staff — employees

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