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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stand · fork · hand · leaves · wake · patient · spring · mark

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. hand — help
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fork — in a road
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. mark — a grade
  23. spring — a coil
  24. patient — a sick person

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