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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. march — the month
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. staff — employees
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. march — music
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. march — the month
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. staff — employees

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