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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: toast · patient · fork · spring · perch · hide · stick · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fork — in a road
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. fork — to eat with

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