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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bank — of a river
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stock — goods
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. net — in sport
  15. kid — to tease
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bank — for money
  18. kid — child
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bore — to drill
  21. stock — shares
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. bank — for money

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