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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: cold · mouse · branch · bore · race · arm · patient · drill

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. race — the arms race
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. branch — a division
  7. bore — to drill
  8. drill — the tool
  9. race — humankind
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. drill — army training
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cold — not warm
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bore — to tire
  22. race — a contest
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cold — an illness

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