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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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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 · drill · race · mug · cell · rash · snap · wave

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mug — a cup
  7. rash — hasty
  8. drill — army training
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. mug — a face
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. race — a contest
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. snap — to click
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. rash — a series
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — humankind
  20. drill — a practice
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cell — a phone
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cell — in biology

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