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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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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: spring · pitcher · track · straw · fork · patient · mate · rest

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. spring — of water
  3. track — a path
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mate — to breed
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. spring — the season
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — a friend
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rest — a break
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. track — a song
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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