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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: bulb · track · tear · staff · craft · kid · patient · bound

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. craft — boats
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. track — a song
  5. staff — employees
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. kid — child
  8. tear — from crying
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. staff — employees
  11. track — a path
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. tear — to rip
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — tied together
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bulb — for light
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bound — obliged
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bound — certain
  24. track — to keep track

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