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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. root — the cause
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bass — the fish
  5. object — an aim
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. shower — to wash
  9. kid — to tease
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bore — to drill
  14. shower — rain
  15. bass — low music
  16. file — a document
  17. object — to protest
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bore — to tire
  20. kid — child
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. object — a thing

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