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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stand — to bear
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. can — a tin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. march — the month
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. march — the month
  11. can — to be able to
  12. march — music
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bore — to drill
  22. can — a tin
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mine — for digging

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