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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: file · patient · land · ball · jam · drill · ground · temple

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. land — a country
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. ground — a position
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. land — to come down
  9. drill — army training
  10. file — a document
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ground — crushed
  13. drill — a practice
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. drill — the tool
  17. land — ground
  18. ground — the earth
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. ball — a great time
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. file — a line of people
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. temple — a place of worship

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