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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: toast · wave · march · patient · file · mug · fall · hide

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — to rob
  3. toast — bread
  4. fall — to drop
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mug — a cup
  9. file — a tool
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. file — a document
  17. fall — the season
  18. file — a line of people
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. fall — to drop
  21. march — the month
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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