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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.

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 · saw · arm · lean · spring · race · ground · patient

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. ground — crushed
  4. race — humankind
  5. ground — the earth
  6. saw — the tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. race — a contest
  9. drill — the tool
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. saw — the tool
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. race — the arms race
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. ground — a position
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lean — thin
  22. spring — the season
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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