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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · fall · bulb · nail · hand · file · squash · pitcher

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. hand — help
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. file — a line of people
  10. hand — in cards
  11. squash — to crush
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fall — the season
  19. bulb — for light
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. file — a tool
  24. bulb — of a plant

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