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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: kid · cell · file · hide · patient · trunk · ball · date

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. date — the fruit
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. ball — a dance
  8. file — a tool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — to tease
  12. file — a line of people
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cell — a phone
  20. kid — child
  21. ball — a great time
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. file — a document
  24. trunk — of a car

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