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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: mouse · object · cell · kid · race · rash · patient · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. kid — child
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rash — hasty
  8. object — a thing
  9. race — humankind
  10. cell — a phone
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. object — to protest
  13. race — a contest
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rash — a series
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. object — an aim
  23. kid — to tease
  24. straw — a straw man

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