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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: can · stick · band · drill · patient · spell · perch · fall

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fall — the season
  4. can — to be able to
  5. spell — a short time
  6. can — a tin
  7. drill — army training
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. band — a music group
  10. spell — magic
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. perch — the fish
  16. can — a tin
  17. band — a ring
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. drill — the tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spell — letters

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