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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: rock · wake · fan · branch · game · drill · fine · patient

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. drill — a practice
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. branch — a division
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. game — a match
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rock — music
  13. fine — all right
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rock — a stone
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. drill — army training
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fine — high quality
  24. game — wild animals

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