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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: patient · last · cold · bore · object · pop · mouse · firm

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. last — finally
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. object — a thing
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pop — soda
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pop — to visit
  10. last — final
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. firm — decided
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. object — an aim
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. object — to protest
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. last — to go on
  20. firm — a company
  21. bore — to tire
  22. firm — steady
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pop — music

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