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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · tear · patient · coach · file · rock · current · bark

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wound — an injury
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rock — a stone
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. tear — to rip
  16. current — happening now
  17. file — a tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rock — music
  22. current — electric
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. current — of water

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