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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. saw — the tool
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wind — moving air
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. date — the fruit
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. saw — the tool
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. drill — a practice
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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