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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: kid · clip · file · lean · wake · rush · patient · spell

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lean — thin
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. kid — child
  8. file — a document
  9. spell — letters
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. clip — a video
  18. file — a tool
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. clip — for paper
  22. lean — to bend
  23. clip — to cut
  24. lean — to rest against

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