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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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468
Word bank
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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. net — in sport
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. key — in music
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. net — after costs
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. net — for catching
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wave — of the sea

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