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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. drill — the tool
  3. branch — a division
  4. snap — to click
  5. key — in music
  6. rule — government
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rush — hurry
  9. drill — army training
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bear — the animal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. key — the most important part
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rule — a law
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. key — for a lock
  24. drill — a practice

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