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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.

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: ground · face · rush · drill · wind · mark · patient · content

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. content — the amount
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. face — to confront
  10. drill — a practice
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. face — to point toward
  14. content — happy
  15. mark — a trace
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rush — hurry
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wind — moving air

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