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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 120 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: calf · kid · rest · charge · hide · pop · chest · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. kid — child
  3. charge — electricity
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. charge — a price
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. charge — in control
  16. rest — a break
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pop — music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pop — soda
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kid — to tease

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