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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.

Words on the sheet
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: straw · nail · bark · cell · bore · sharp · patient · ball

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. ball — a dance
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cell — a phone
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. patient — a sick person
  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