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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: rush · pitcher · track · wake · land · mine · staff · patient

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. track — a path
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. staff — employees
  4. land — a country
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. land — to come down
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. staff — a stick
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. track — a song
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wake — a trail
  18. staff — employees
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rush — hurry
  22. land — ground
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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