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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 120 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: club · track · calf · file · saw · patient · root · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rule — a law
  5. club — for golf
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. file — a tool
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rule — government
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. track — a path
  13. club — a group
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. track — to keep track
  16. saw — the tool
  17. root — of a plant
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a word
  21. track — a song
  22. file — a line of people
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. file — a document

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