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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 116 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: patient · tear · leaves · plane · row · fall · club · mug

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. row — a line
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. row — to paddle
  10. mug — to rob
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mug — a face
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. club — for golf
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. club — a group
  18. tear — from crying
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. club — for dancing
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. mug — a cup

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