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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: bark · lean · chair · cold · fall · fan · tube · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fall — the season
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. tube — the underground
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tube — a container
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cold — an illness
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fan — a supporter

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