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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
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: mark · arm · rest · file · season · patient · fan · row

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. file — a document
  3. rest — a break
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rest — what's left
  6. file — a line of people
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. season — in sport
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. row — to paddle
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mark — a grade
  13. file — a tool
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mark — a trace
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. season — of the year
  22. row — a line
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. arm — part of the body

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