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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: foot · patient · date · kid · spring · cue · can · land

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. land — ground
  3. can — a tin
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. can — to be able to
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. land — to come down
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. land — a country
  13. spring — the season
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cue — for pool
  18. spring — a coil
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. can — a tin
  21. date — the fruit
  22. spring — of water
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kid — to tease

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