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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: dip · chair · patient · file · sharp · root · board · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. root — of a word
  4. file — a tool
  5. root — of a plant
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. root — the cause
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. board — to get on
  13. sharp — clever
  14. tear — to rip
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. board — a committee
  17. dip — to sink
  18. tear — from crying
  19. file — a document
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. chair — a leader
  22. file — a line of people
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. dip — a sauce

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