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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · fork · bark · racket · pitcher · fine · rush · patient

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rush — hurry
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fine — all right
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fork — in a road
  22. spell — letters
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fine — high quality

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