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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. drill — army training
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. drill — a practice
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wound — an injury
  16. can — to be able to
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pass — a permit

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