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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: pound · file · game · bound · shower · drill · patient · nail

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bound — tied together
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. drill — the tool
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. file — a tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. file — a line of people
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. drill — army training
  11. file — a document
  12. game — a match
  13. shower — to wash
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. shower — rain
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. drill — a practice
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bound — obliged
  20. game — wild animals
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bound — certain
  23. pound — a weight
  24. patient — a sick person

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