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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
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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: mouse · pass · kid · land · object · patient · spring · date

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. spring — a coil
  4. land — a country
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. object — to protest
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. spring — the season
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. object — a thing
  16. land — to come down
  17. object — an aim
  18. pass — a permit
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. kid — to tease
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kid — child
  23. land — ground
  24. spring — of water

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