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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: pit · leaves · patient · nail · cold · bowl · rest · fan

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cold — not warm
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rest — what's left
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pit — a hole

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