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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: bay · patient · stem · fork · pitch · sharp · spell · temple

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. spell — magic
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. stem — to come from
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pitch — completely
  16. spell — letters
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. spell — a short time

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