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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 120 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: saw · tear · file · patient · chip · sharp · drill · foot

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. tear — to rip
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. file — a tool
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. chip — for betting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. file — a document
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. chip — to eat
  16. file — a line of people
  17. drill — the tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. sharp — clever
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  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