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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. wound — an injury
  3. content — the amount
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fall — the season
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. content — happy
  9. drill — the tool
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fall — to drop
  13. drill — a practice
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cap — of ice
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cap — a hat
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. drill — army training
  24. nail — on a finger

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