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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. field — farmland
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bank — for money
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. field — a subject
  15. cue — for pool
  16. field — for sport
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bank — for money
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. saw — the tool
  24. patient — a sick person

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