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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: wake · march · foot · bore · kick · patient · bat · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — music
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bat — the animal
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bore — to tire
  9. kick — in football
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. foot — a measure
  14. staff — employees
  15. march — the month
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bore — to drill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wake — a trail
  24. march — the month

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