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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.

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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: kid · racket · patient · craft · fork · fan · board · rush

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fork — in a road
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. craft — boats
  8. kid — child
  9. board — a committee
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. craft — a skill
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rush — hurry
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. board — to get on

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