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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: roll · saw · deal · cell · present · patient · jam · drill

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. present — a gift
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. roll — a list
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cell — a phone
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. present — the time now
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. deal — to handle
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. present — there
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. drill — a practice
  21. roll — a cake
  22. cell — in biology
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. saw — the 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