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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 116 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: can · staff · kid · pitcher · fine · rock · bore · patient

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fine — all right
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — to drill
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. staff — a stick
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. fine — high quality
  13. kid — child
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. kid — to tease
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. can — a tin

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