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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: bowl · rush · object · land · patient · file · fall · fine

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. file — a tool
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. fall — the season
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. object — an aim
  14. land — ground
  15. object — to protest
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fine — high quality
  19. file — a document
  20. land — a country
  21. object — a thing
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rush — hurry

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