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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: bowl · net · firm · drill · patient · wake · file · bear

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. firm — decided
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. net — for catching
  6. wake — a trail
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. net — after costs
  15. firm — steady
  16. file — a document
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. firm — a company
  19. net — in sport
  20. bear — the animal
  21. drill — army training
  22. bear — the animal
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bowl — to roll

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