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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. drill — a practice
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pitch — completely
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rash — hasty
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. drill — army training
  13. hand — help
  14. plane — a tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. branch — a division
  18. rash — a series
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. drill — the tool
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rush — a thrill

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