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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. mine — for digging
  3. court — for sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bank — of a river
  9. prune — to trim
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bank — for money
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bank — for money
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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