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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: kid · pound · cap · dip · patient · scale · rest · drill

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. cap — a lid
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rest — a break
  6. scale — in music
  7. kid — to tease
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cap — a hat
  10. scale — size or range
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. drill — the tool
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. dip — to sink
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pound — a weight
  21. kid — child
  22. rest — what's left
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pound — for dogs

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