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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fall — the season
  5. bore — to drill
  6. ground — crushed
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. shower — to wash
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bore — to tire
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. shower — rain

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