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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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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — to go on
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — finally
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. stem — to come from
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. pit — in a race
  18. last — final
  19. drill — a practice
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wind — moving air
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pit — a hole

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