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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bore — to drill
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. field — farmland
  6. last — finally
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. last — to go on
  11. field — a subject
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. last — final
  20. field — for sport
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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