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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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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 · face · pound · snap · drill · wound · trunk · safe

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. drill — the tool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pound — a weight
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. face — to confront
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. drill — a practice
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wound — an injury
  16. drill — army training
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. snap — to click
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wound — an injury
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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