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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. file — a document
  5. row — a line
  6. row — to paddle
  7. ground — a position
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. rush — hurry
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. file — a line of people
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. file — a tool
  16. bank — for money
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bank — of a river
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bank — for money
  23. ground — the earth
  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