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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bank — for money
  3. kid — child
  4. foot — a measure
  5. mug — to rob
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. clip — to cut
  9. drill — a practice
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bank — for money
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mug — a face
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mug — a cup
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. drill — army training

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