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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: drill · row · racket · saw · rest · hand · patient · stand

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. hand — help
  3. row — a line
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rest — what's left
  6. drill — army training
  7. row — to paddle
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. drill — the tool
  18. hand — in cards
  19. drill — a practice
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stand — to bear
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stand — on your feet

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