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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 116 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: firm · drill · net · row · rock · file · tear · patient

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. drill — a practice
  3. file — a tool
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. net — in sport
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. drill — army training
  8. firm — steady
  9. drill — the tool
  10. firm — a company
  11. net — for catching
  12. firm — decided
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. file — a document
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. net — after costs
  17. rock — a stone
  18. row — to paddle
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rock — music
  22. tear — to rip
  23. file — a line of people
  24. row — a line

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