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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: tube · bowl · ruler · wind · patient · sharp · file · bat

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. tube — a container
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. file — a tool
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bat — the animal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. file — a document
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wind — moving air
  16. file — a line of people
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wind — moving air
  24. sharp — clever

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