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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: last · rash · racket · leaves · drill · patient · wound · row

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wound — an injury
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. last — finally
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. last — to go on
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rash — a series
  12. drill — the tool
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. last — final
  15. rash — hasty
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. row — to paddle
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. drill — a practice
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. drill — army training

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