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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. saw — the tool
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. file — a tool
  11. craft — boats
  12. bark — to shout
  13. foot — a measure
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mate — a friend
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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