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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: mouse · craft · rush · straw · club · drill · pitcher · patient

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. craft — boats
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. club — for dancing
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for golf
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. craft — a skill
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. drill — army training
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. straw — dry grass

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