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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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Word bank
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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: patient · scale · bore · pop · sharp · land

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bore — to drill
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. sharp — clever
  5. land — ground
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pop — music
  8. land — a country
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pop — to visit
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. scale — size or range
  17. land — to come down
  18. pop — soda

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