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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: sharp · cabinet · ball · patient · land · mouse · bore · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. land — ground
  4. bore — to drill
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. land — a country
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. file — a document
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. land — to come down
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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