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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: current · press · drill · march · kid · mate · spell · patient

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. drill — the tool
  3. march — music
  4. kid — to tease
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. current — of water
  10. mate — a friend
  11. press — a publisher
  12. current — happening now
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. march — the month
  15. mate — a partner
  16. spell — magic
  17. current — electric
  18. kid — child
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. press — to push
  21. march — the month
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mate — to breed

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