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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 124 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. scale — in music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. prune — to trim
  11. drill — a practice
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. degree — temperature
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. scale — size or range
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. capital — a city
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. capital — money
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. degree — an amount
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. drill — the tool

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