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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — of a king
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cold — an illness
  5. court — for sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bark — to shout
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stand — to bear
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bore — to tire
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. sharp — clever
  19. court — of law
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. sharp — with an edge

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