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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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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: kid · patient · pop · hide · bowl · drill · bore · band

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. band — a ring
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. drill — army training
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pop — soda
  12. band — a music group
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. pop — music
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bore — to drill
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. kid — to tease

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