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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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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: object · nail · craft · sharp · bore · content · current · patient

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bore — to drill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — a skill
  7. object — to protest
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. object — an aim
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. craft — boats
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. object — a thing
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. current — electric
  17. sharp — clever
  18. current — of water
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. current — happening now
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. content — the amount

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