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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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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: tube · file · safe · row · patient · saw · tear · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tear — to rip
  4. row — to paddle
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. file — a line of people
  10. saw — the tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tear — from crying
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. root — of a plant
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. row — a line
  23. root — the cause
  24. safe — out of danger

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