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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. spring — the season
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wake — a trail
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — to tire
  16. spring — of water
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kid — to tease
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. perch — the fish
  24. saw — the tool

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