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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: patient · lean · bore · last · pitcher · spell · ground · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bore — to tire
  5. lean — to bend
  6. last — final
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. last — to go on
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. lean — thin
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ground — a position
  21. last — finally
  22. spell — magic
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. spell — letters

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