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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: saw · sharp · march · fan · foot · drill · prune · patient

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. foot — a measure
  3. saw — the tool
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. march — the month
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. march — music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. drill — the tool
  15. sharp — clever
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. prune — to trim
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. march — the month
  24. saw — the tool

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