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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.

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: pitcher · land · kid · staff · squash · patient · ruler · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. kid — to tease
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kid — child
  7. staff — a stick
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. land — a country
  10. march — music
  11. land — ground
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. march — the month
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — to come down
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. staff — employees
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. squash — the sport

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