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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: date · mine · cell · file · patient · foot · craft · racket

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. foot — a measure
  6. date — the fruit
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. craft — boats
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. racket — a loud noise

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