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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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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: track · rule · fork · patient · rest · straw · saw · dip

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. dip — to sink
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rest — what's left
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. track — a song
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. track — to keep track
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rest — what's left
  17. track — a path
  18. rule — government
  19. rest — a break
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rule — a law

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