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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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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: foot · drill · patient · pop · bear · ball · wind · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bear — the animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pop — soda
  17. wind — moving air
  18. present — the time now
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. present — there

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