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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. plane — a tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. file — a document
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. file — a tool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. band — a ring
  12. foot — a measure
  13. chip — to eat
  14. file — a line of people
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chip — for betting
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. band — a music group

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