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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: staff · file · mine · can · ball · patient · row · net

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. net — for catching
  3. staff — employees
  4. file — a document
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. staff — a stick
  8. net — after costs
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. net — in sport
  11. mine — for digging
  12. can — a tin
  13. ball — a dance
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. ball — a great time
  17. row — a line
  18. file — a tool
  19. row — to paddle
  20. can — to be able to
  21. file — a line of people
  22. can — a tin
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. staff — employees

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