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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stock — shares
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. object — to protest
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. scale — in music
  12. bore — to drill
  13. stock — goods
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. object — a thing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. file — a tool
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. object — an aim
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. file — a document
  24. bore — to tire

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