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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fork · chair · patient · clip · wake · bound · nail · net

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. net — after costs
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. net — in sport
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wake — a trail
  14. clip — for paper
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. net — for catching
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wake — before a funeral

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