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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
468
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: jam · drill · hand · shower · press · patient · snap · bark

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. hand — help
  3. drill — the tool
  4. snap — to click
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. drill — army training
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. press — a publisher
  13. shower — rain
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. press — to push
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. press — newspapers
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bark — to shout
  22. hand — in cards
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. hand — part of the body

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