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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. mug — a face
  13. net — in sport
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. net — after costs
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fork — in a road
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wake — a trail

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