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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
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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: patient · fork · rash · net · plane · shower · pit · pop

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. pit — in a race
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. shower — rain
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. plane — a tool
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pop — soda
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rash — hasty
  15. net — in sport
  16. pop — music
  17. net — after costs
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. net — for catching
  21. pit — a hole
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rash — a series

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