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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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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: court · perch · patient · rule · kid · tube · bear · bay

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tube — a container
  3. kid — to tease
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bear — the animal
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. court — for sport
  13. rule — a law
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. tube — the underground
  17. court — of law
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rule — government
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. court — of a king
  23. kid — child
  24. perch — the fish

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