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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
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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: staff · cold · rash · date · stick · suit · patient · mug

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cold — an illness
  4. staff — a stick
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mug — to rob
  7. rash — a series
  8. cold — not warm
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. suit — clothes
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — to fit
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mug — a face
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mug — a cup

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