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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 120 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: kid · lie · hide · patient · sharp · band · cell · mouse

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. band — a music group
  6. kid — child
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lie — to recline
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. band — a ring
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cell — in biology
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cell — a phone
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. hide — animal skin

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