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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. staff — a stick
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. deal — to handle
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. staff — employees
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. staff — employees
  23. drill — army training
  24. temple — side of the head

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