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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cell — a phone
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitch — completely
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bore — to tire
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cell — in biology
  18. press — a publisher
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — to push
  23. saw — the tool
  24. patient — a sick person

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