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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 120 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. content — happy
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. content — the amount
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. kick — in football
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. chip — to eat
  24. stem — to come from

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