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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 120 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mine — for digging
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fork — in a road
  24. dip — to dunk

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