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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: field · rule · pitcher · wake · drill · nail · mark · patient

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. mark — a grade
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rule — government
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. drill — army training
  11. field — for sport
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. rule — a law
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. drill — a practice
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — a trail

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