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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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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: sharp · patient · cold · pop · cap · arm · foot · bore

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cold — an illness
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cap — a hat
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pop — music
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. foot — a measure
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pop — soda
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cold — not warm
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cap — of ice

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