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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: file · wound · racket · key · mate · season · pound · patient

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. key — for a lock
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wound — an injury
  6. key — in music
  7. file — a document
  8. mate — a partner
  9. season — in sport
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wound — an injury
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. file — a tool
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. key — the most important part
  19. season — of the year
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mate — a friend
  22. file — a line of people
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. season — to add flavour

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