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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 · lie · mouse · land · kid · wave · file · sharp

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. file — a tool
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. land — to come down
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. file — a document
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. land — a country
  18. file — a line of people
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. sharp — clever
  23. land — ground
  24. lie — an untruth

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