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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 120 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: arm · mate · bore · band · straw · patient · spring · drill

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. spring — the season
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mate — a friend
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mate — to breed
  8. band — a ring
  9. drill — army training
  10. bore — to drill
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. mate — a partner
  15. spring — a coil
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — to tire
  18. band — a music group
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spring — of water
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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