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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. object — an aim
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. drill — the tool
  5. object — to protest
  6. drill — army training
  7. bore — to drill
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cold — an illness
  10. drill — a practice
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. band — a ring
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bore — to tire
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. object — a thing
  19. band — a music group
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cold — not warm
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. band — a rubber band

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