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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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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 · file · roll · bay · wound · present · rock · tear

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. present — a gift
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. file — a tool
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. present — the time now
  8. roll — a list
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — music
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tear — from crying
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. roll — a cake
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wound — an injury
  21. present — there
  22. file — a document
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. tear — from crying

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