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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: patient · stock · saw · nail · fork · kid · lash · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. kid — to tease
  6. can — a tin
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. can — a tin
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stock — goods
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stock — shares
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fork — in a road
  23. kid — child
  24. patient — a sick person

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