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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: mine · hand · pitcher · bass · last · patient · arm · fork

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. last — finally
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. last — to go on
  13. hand — in cards
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. last — final
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. fork — in a road

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