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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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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 · row · march · suit · pit · drill · prune · snap

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. drill — the tool
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. suit — in cards
  7. march — the month
  8. drill — a practice
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. march — music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. drill — army training
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. suit — to fit
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. snap — to click
  19. suit — clothes
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. march — the month
  24. pit — in a race

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