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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.

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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: game · rock · bound · wound · bowl · file · staff · patient

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. file — a document
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bound — certain
  10. game — a match
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. game — wild animals
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rock — music
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. staff — employees
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. wound — an injury

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