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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: firm · file · patient · swing · scale · chip · bark · bore

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. scale — in music
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. chip — for betting
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — a company
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. file — a document
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bark — to shout
  15. firm — decided
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. scale — size or range
  19. swing — in golf
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. swing — music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. file — a line of people
  24. chip — to eat

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