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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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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: pass · trunk · wind · drill · season · row · bore · patient

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bore — to drill
  8. drill — army training
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. season — of the year
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. season — in sport
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pass — a permit
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wind — moving air
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bore — to tire

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