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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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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: fall · patient · wave · date · stick · cue · trunk · current

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cue — a hint
  5. fall — the season
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. current — happening now
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cue — a signal
  17. date — the fruit
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fall — to drop
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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