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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · patient · lie · wind · stand · pound

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fork — in a road
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pound — for dogs

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