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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · lean · cold · march · patient · fall · season · rock

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rock — a stone
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. season — of the year
  6. lean — thin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chip — to eat
  9. season — in sport
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cold — not warm
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. march — the month
  15. chip — for betting
  16. fall — to drop
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. march — music
  19. fall — the season
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rock — music
  23. march — the month
  24. chip — in a computer

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