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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: clip · march · fall · rush · dip · patient · fork · saw

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fall — the season
  4. clip — to cut
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. march — the month
  14. saw — the tool
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. clip — a video
  18. march — music
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fall — to drop
  21. march — the month
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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