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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: patient · object · dip · rule · pop · fall · content · rest

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. fall — the season
  3. rest — a break
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pop — music
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rule — government
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fall — to drop
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. object — to protest
  13. content — the amount
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. object — a thing
  16. pop — to visit
  17. content — happy
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pop — soda
  21. rest — what's left
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rule — a law

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