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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · patient · wound · file · roll · craft · straw · wake

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. file — a tool
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. craft — boats
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wound — an injury
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. file — a line of people
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wound — an injury
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. roll — a list
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bear — the animal
  22. roll — a cake
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bear — the animal

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