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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 · present · clip · capital · lie · patient · foot · bore

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bore — to drill
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. clip — to cut
  8. file — a line of people
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. clip — a video
  13. capital — money
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. present — there
  16. clip — for paper
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. present — the time now
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. patient — a sick person

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