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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. race — humankind
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. race — a contest
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. date — the fruit
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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