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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: saw · bass · rule · lean · patient · roll · dip · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. lean — to bend
  3. last — to go on
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. dip — to sink
  7. saw — the tool
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. last — final
  10. roll — a cake
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rule — government
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rule — a law
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bass — the fish
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. lean — thin
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. roll — a list
  24. bass — low music

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