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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mate — a friend
  4. content — the amount
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mate — to breed
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bark — to shout
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. content — happy
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mouse — the animal

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