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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. board — to get on
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pass — a permit
  10. hand — help
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. file — a document
  16. hand — in cards
  17. board — a committee
  18. kid — child
  19. stem — to come from
  20. saw — the tool
  21. file — a tool
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. hand — part of the body

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