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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: rest · patient · fork · rock · bay · fan · trunk · date

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rest — what's left
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. rock — music
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rest — a break
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. date — the fruit
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rest — what's left
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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