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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: rock · file · stick · march · staff · pop · wake · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. march — the month
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. staff — employees
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. march — the month
  12. file — a line of people
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. rock — music
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. staff — employees
  17. march — music
  18. file — a tool
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. file — a document
  22. rock — a stone
  23. staff — a stick
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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