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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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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 · patient · court · prune · dip · fine · fan · season

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. dip — to sink
  3. court — of law
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fine — high quality
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. court — for sport
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. court — of a king
  19. prune — to trim
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — in sport
  24. prune — to trim

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