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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 116 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: hand · fork · stem · ruler · kid · patient · bulb · hide

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. fork — a garden tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. hand — help
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fork — in a road
  23. kid — child
  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