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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: patient · lash · fall · file · pop · plane · pit · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pop — music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pit — a hole
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pit — in a race
  11. file — a tool
  12. pop — to visit
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fall — the season
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. pop — soda

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