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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: hand · patient · pop · pitcher · season · stem · kid · hide

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hand — help
  17. kid — child
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. hand — in cards
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hide — to keep secret

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