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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: stick · perch · bore · squash · patient · kid · hand · charge

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. charge — a price
  7. squash — to crush
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bore — to drill
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. perch — the fish
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. charge — in control
  16. hand — in cards
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. hand — help
  19. bore — to tire
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. squash — the sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. hand — part of the body

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