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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. saw — the tool
  3. craft — boats
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pound — a weight
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. saw — the tool
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bore — to drill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. plane — a tool

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