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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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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: hand · race · stand · fork · wave · sharp · net · patient

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. race — humankind
  14. net — in sport
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stand — to bear
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. net — after costs
  21. hand — help
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. net — for catching
  24. race — a contest

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