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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. row — to paddle
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. row — a line
  5. bass — the fish
  6. drill — army training
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. clip — a video
  12. bore — to drill
  13. drill — a practice
  14. clip — to cut
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bore — to tire
  17. season — in sport
  18. clip — for paper
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — the tool
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bass — low music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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