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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: wake · patient · rash · net · dip · present · fork · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. wake — a trail
  3. net — for catching
  4. present — there
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. row — a line
  7. present — the time now
  8. rash — hasty
  9. row — to paddle
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. net — in sport
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rash — a series
  17. net — after costs
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. present — a gift
  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