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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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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. file — a line of people
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. kid — child
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fine — all right
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. file — a tool
  20. stem — to come from
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. file — a document

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