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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: patient · swing · staff · last · bass · file · game · fork

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fork — in a road
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. game — a match
  7. last — to go on
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bass — low music
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. staff — a stick
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. file — a tool
  15. swing — music
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bass — the fish
  18. file — a document
  19. staff — employees
  20. swing — in golf
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. file — a line of people
  24. staff — employees

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