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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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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: race · temple · content · wake · file · deal · mine · patient

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. mine — an explosive
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. race — a contest
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. race — humankind
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. file — a document
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. content — happy
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wake — a trail
  15. content — the amount
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. race — the arms race
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mine — for digging
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  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