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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rest — a break
  7. mine — for digging
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. foot — a measure
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rest — what's left
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rest — what's left

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