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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bass — the fish
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cap — a lid
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cap — a hat
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bass — low music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cap — of ice
  24. date — the fruit

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