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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chest — a box
  6. drill — a practice
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chest — of your body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fall — to drop
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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