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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. drill — army training
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. kid — child
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bank — of a river
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bank — for money
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. row — a line
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bank — for money
  24. racket — for tennis

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