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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. clip — for paper
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cue — a signal
  8. clip — a video
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bank — for money
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bank — of a river
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wax — to grow
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bank — for money
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — for pool
  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