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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: hide · file · pound · patient · cap · ground · rock · bay

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cap — a lid
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rock — music
  7. cap — a hat
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pound — a weight
  11. ground — a position
  12. file — a document
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cap — of ice
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. rock — a stone
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. ground — crushed
  24. rock — to move gently

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