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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: ground · patient · stock · fine · file · hide · wound · chest

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fine — all right
  3. chest — a box
  4. fine — high quality
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. file — a document
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. file — a tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ground — crushed
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stock — goods
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stock — shares
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. hide — animal skin

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