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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. drill — the tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pass — a permit
  5. spring — the season
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mark — a trace
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. tear — from crying
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. drill — army training
  16. mine — for digging
  17. spring — of water
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. mark — a grade
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. drill — a practice

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