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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: wake · net · nail · toast · fan · wound · patient · scale

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. wake — a trail
  8. toast — bread
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. scale — in music
  12. net — in sport
  13. scale — size or range
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. net — for catching
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. net — after costs

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