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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. wind — moving air
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — finally
  6. file — a tool
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. root — the cause
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. last — final
  11. key — for a lock
  12. root — of a word
  13. key — in music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. last — to go on
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. perch — the fish
  19. file — a line of people
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. root — of a plant
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wind — to turn a key

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