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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: season · fall · track · patient · dip · chest · rock · last

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fall — to drop
  6. season — in sport
  7. last — to go on
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chest — of your body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. track — to keep track
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. chest — a box
  15. track — a path
  16. chest — of your body
  17. dip — to sink
  18. last — finally
  19. fall — the season
  20. last — final
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rock — music
  24. season — of the year

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