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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. drill — army training
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pop — soda
  7. prune — to trim
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — of the year
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. current — happening now
  16. mine — for digging
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. season — in sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. drill — a practice
  24. patient — a sick person

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