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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · mark · patient · wind · rule · racket

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rule — government
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — a law
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training

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