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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 120 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: rush · arm · rest · wake · squash · patient · cap · fall

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cap — of ice
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. squash — the sport
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fall — the season
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. fall — to drop

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