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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: season · present · wake · foot · patient · spring · fall · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. wake — a trail
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spring — a coil
  6. present — a gift
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spring — the season
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. spring — of water
  12. present — the time now
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. snap — to click
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. season — of the year
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. present — there
  21. foot — a measure
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. fall — to drop

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