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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. land — a country
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. field — for sport
  9. ground — the earth
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. kid — to tease
  16. land — to come down
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pop — music
  19. ground — a position
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. kid — child
  23. land — ground
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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