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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 116 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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rule — a law
  3. drill — army training
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rule — government
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. prune — to trim
  10. season — of the year
  11. key — the most important part
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. drill — a practice
  14. kid — to tease
  15. drill — the tool
  16. row — to paddle
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. row — a line
  19. season — in sport
  20. kid — child
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. prune — to trim
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — in music

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