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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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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. fork — in a road
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. cell — in biology
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. net — after costs
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bass — low music
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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