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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 · pit · patient · land · nail · shower · staff · leaves

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. drill — army training
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. shower — to wash
  6. staff — employees
  7. drill — the tool
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. land — a country
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. shower — rain
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pit — in a race
  22. staff — employees
  23. pit — a hole
  24. drill — a practice

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