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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: file · trunk · bat · staff · patient · nail · game · can

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. game — wild animals
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. staff — a stick
  9. can — to be able to
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. staff — employees
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bat — the animal
  18. file — a document
  19. staff — employees
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. game — a match
  23. file — a tool
  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