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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cap — a hat
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bark — to shout
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spring — the season
  20. season — of the year
  21. bound — certain
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. spring — of water
  24. bound — obliged

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