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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: date · rush · leaves · rash · ground · cell · patient · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. ground — a position
  3. rash — hasty
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cell — a phone
  6. track — a song
  7. rash — a series
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. rush — hurry
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ground — the earth
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cell — in biology
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. track — to keep track
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. ground — crushed
  23. date — the fruit
  24. rash — on the skin

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