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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 · fan · bore · nail · date · straw · cold · mug

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — to drill
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mug — to rob
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mug — a cup
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cold — an illness
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cold — not warm
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mug — a face

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