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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bulb — for light
  4. drill — the tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tear — to rip
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rock — music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. key — in music
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. game — wild animals
  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