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

Word bank: fork · safe · patient · bass · snap · row · wind · net

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. fork — in a road
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. row — a line
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bass — low music
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. row — to paddle
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bass — the fish
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. net — after costs
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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