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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: bore · wind · roll · patient · current · hand · nail · pass

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. current — happening now
  3. hand — in cards
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bore — to tire
  6. current — of water
  7. hand — help
  8. wind — moving air
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. roll — a list
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wind — moving air
  17. current — electric
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pass — a permit
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bore — to drill

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