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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 116 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
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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 · stick · wound · last · degree · patient · stock · hide

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wound — an injury
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stock — shares
  9. last — to go on
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. last — finally
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stock — goods
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. drill — army training
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. degree — an amount
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. last — final
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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