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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · drill · trunk · patient · file · ball · game · mine

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. ball — a great time
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fork — in a road
  7. game — wild animals
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. drill — a practice
  16. file — a tool
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. game — a match
  24. mine — for digging

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