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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: game · mine · patient · jam · drill · firm · object · bear

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mine — for digging
  3. object — to protest
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. drill — army training
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — an aim
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. firm — steady
  17. bear — the animal
  18. firm — decided
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. drill — a practice
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. bear — the animal
  24. drill — the tool

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