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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. file — a document
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spell — magic
  7. bore — to tire
  8. root — the cause
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. lie — to recline
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wound — an injury
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rush — hurry

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