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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: mine · drill · rule · patient · file · charge · press · saw

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. file — a document
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. file — a tool
  8. charge — in control
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. saw — the tool
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. charge — a price
  14. press — newspapers
  15. charge — electricity
  16. press — to push
  17. drill — a practice
  18. file — a line of people
  19. drill — army training
  20. rule — a law
  21. press — a publisher
  22. drill — the tool
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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