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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: kick · can · craft · field · mouse · rest · patient · bat

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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. patient — calm and waiting
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bat — the animal
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. rest — what's left
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. craft — boats
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rest — a break
  13. kick — in football
  14. field — a subject
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. rest — what's left
  17. can — to be able to
  18. field — for sport
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. field — farmland
  23. can — a tin
  24. mouse — the animal

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