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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: drill · land · tube · straw · patient · bay · wound · root

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. land — to come down
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. root — the cause
  10. land — a country
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. drill — a practice
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. root — of a word
  16. land — ground
  17. tube — a container
  18. root — of a plant
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. drill — army training
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. drill — the tool
  24. tube — the underground

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