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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: wake · chair · mine · track · last · stick · face · patient

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. last — final
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chair — a leader
  6. face — to confront
  7. wake — a trail
  8. last — finally
  9. track — a path
  10. mine — for digging
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. last — to go on
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mine — an explosive

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