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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bank — for money
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. drill — army training
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. drill — the tool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bank — of a river
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bank — for money
  20. drill — a practice
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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