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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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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: ball · lash · field · fork · patient · mate

  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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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. mate — a friend
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. field — farmland
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. ball — a great time
  10. field — for sport
  11. mate — a partner
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. field — a subject
  14. mate — to breed
  15. ball — a dance
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fork — in a road
  18. lash — to lash out

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