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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: staff · patient · march · tear · stem · stick · kid · kick

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. staff — a stick
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stem — to come from
  7. march — music
  8. staff — employees
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tear — from crying
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. tear — from crying
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. staff — employees
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. kid — child
  19. kick — in football
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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