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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
468
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: patient · nail · dip · bore · roll · kid · racket · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. kid — child
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. bore — to drill
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kid — to tease
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bore — to tire
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. dip — to sink
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. roll — a cake
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. patient — a sick person

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