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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: wind · staff · patient · roll · can · pop · arm · bore

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pop — soda
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pop — music
  10. wind — moving air
  11. can — a tin
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. can — a tin
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. staff — a stick
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. roll — a list
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bore — to drill
  21. roll — a cake
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. staff — employees

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