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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. band — a ring
  7. file — a tool
  8. band — a music group
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. file — a line of people
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. file — a document
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. charge — electricity
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bear — the animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bear — the animal
  24. patient — a sick person

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