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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · capital · mine · drill · tube · wound · patient · pound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mine — for digging
  3. drill — the tool
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tube — a container
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. capital — a city
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. drill — army training
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pound — a weight
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. tube — the underground
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. capital — money

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