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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: rush · wake · file · fall · patient · chest · dip · spring

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rush — hurry
  5. spring — of water
  6. file — a document
  7. chest — a box
  8. fall — to drop
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. file — a tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. dip — to sink
  15. spring — the season
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fall — the season

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