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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: mouse · tube · patient · cabinet · kid · rash · staff · pitch

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. rash — a series
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pitch — completely

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