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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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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: mate · bore · jam · wake · roll · file · track · patient

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. track — to keep track
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. roll — a list
  7. mate — a friend
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. roll — a cake
  11. track — a song
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — to drill
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. track — a path
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mate — to breed
  22. file — a tool
  23. mate — a partner
  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