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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 116 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. land — to come down
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mate — to breed
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. land — a country
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. root — the cause
  13. land — ground
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mate — a friend
  16. root — of a plant
  17. snap — to click
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. root — of a word
  20. mate — a partner
  21. scale — in music
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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