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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: safe · file · dip · mine · net · ground · patient · clip

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. clip — to cut
  3. file — a document
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. net — for catching
  6. clip — a video
  7. file — a tool
  8. net — after costs
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mine — for digging
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. file — a line of people
  13. net — in sport
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. dip — to sink
  16. clip — for paper
  17. ground — crushed
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. ground — a position
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ground — the earth
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. patient — a sick person

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