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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 116 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: fan · craft · patient · wave · pass · game · bark · track

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. craft — boats
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. game — a match
  7. track — a song
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pass — a permit
  18. craft — a skill
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. craft — a handicraft

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