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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.

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: cold · object · plane · bear · rush · patient · file · spell

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. file — a tool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. file — a document
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. file — a line of people
  13. object — an aim
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. spell — letters
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — a thing
  24. cold — not warm

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