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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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Word bank
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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: drill · staff · date · can · arm · patient · perch · kick

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. perch — the fish
  4. drill — the tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. can — a tin
  11. staff — employees
  12. can — to be able to
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. drill — army training
  17. kick — in football
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. drill — a practice
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. staff — a stick
  24. perch — for a bird

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