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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: deal · tear · bore · nail · cell · pop · patient · mate

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pop — music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cell — in biology
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pop — soda
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bore — to drill
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pop — to visit
  22. deal — to handle
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. deal — a big deal

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