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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: patient · rest · face · wake · staff · stock · season · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. face — to confront
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fall — the season
  9. wake — a trail
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. stock — shares
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stock — goods
  17. rest — a break
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. fall — to drop
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rest — what's left

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