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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 120 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: patient · fork · bore · pitcher · clip · content · nail · deal

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. clip — for paper
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bore — to tire
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fork — in a road
  10. content — happy
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. clip — to cut
  15. content — the amount
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. clip — a video
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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