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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wound — an injury
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. net — for catching
  6. file — a line of people
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. net — after costs
  11. club — for golf
  12. file — a tool
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fall — the season
  15. wake — a trail
  16. club — a group
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. club — for dancing
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wound — an injury
  24. net — in sport

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