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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: mug · bank · fall · patient · row · plane · hand · wake

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. hand — help
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mug — a face
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mug — a cup
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. row — a line
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bank — for money
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bank — of a river
  20. fall — to drop
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fall — the season
  23. bank — for money
  24. plane — in geometry

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