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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: bat · wake · patient · bear · fall · cue · rush · last

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. last — finally
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bat — the animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rush — hurry
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fall — the season
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fall — to drop

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