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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: roll · drill · straw · degree · file · plane · bay · patient

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. file — a line of people
  3. roll — a list
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. degree — an amount
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. file — a document
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. file — a tool
  19. plane — a tool
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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