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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: mate · race · roll · patient · club · shower · saw · drill

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — to wash
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. shower — rain
  8. club — for golf
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. saw — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. race — humankind
  15. roll — a list
  16. race — a contest
  17. mate — to breed
  18. drill — the tool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mate — a friend
  21. race — the arms race
  22. saw — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. mate — a partner

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