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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: bear · wake · game · fan · patient · mark · toast · net

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. net — in sport
  6. wake — a trail
  7. net — after costs
  8. toast — bread
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. game — a match
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. mark — a grade
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bear — the animal
  18. net — for catching
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mark — a trace
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. patient — a sick person

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