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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. drill — the tool
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. can — a tin
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cold — an illness
  18. drill — a practice
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. can — to be able to
  21. kid — child
  22. drill — army training
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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