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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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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: bay · fork · snap · patient · cold · chair · lean · wave

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fork — in a road
  6. cold — an illness
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. snap — to click
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lean — thin
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. chair — a leader

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