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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 · arm · plane · roll · net · perch · tear · patient

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. net — after costs
  6. tear — from crying
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. drill — army training
  10. roll — a list
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tear — to rip
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. roll — a cake
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. drill — the tool
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. drill — a practice
  24. plane — a tool

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