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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rest — a break
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rest — what's left
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pound — a weight
  15. drill — army training
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. drill — a practice
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. squash — to crush
  24. sharp — clever

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