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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · bay · patient · kick · band · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. band — a music group
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. firm — decided
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. band — a ring
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. kid — child
  14. firm — steady
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kick — in football
  18. patient — calm and waiting

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