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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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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: wake · patient · swing · rush · straw · stick · lie · plane

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rush — hurry
  4. swing — music
  5. plane — a tool
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. swing — in golf
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. swing — to play on
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wake — a trail
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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