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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.

Make a worksheet

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: patient · fall · rush · staff · dip · wave · straw · saw

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. staff — employees
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fall — to drop
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. dip — to sink
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. staff — employees
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. fall — the season
  16. saw — the tool
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. saw — the tool
  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