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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: wake · fork · fine · patient · hide · saw · bat · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. fine — all right
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fine — high quality
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. ground — a position
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bat — the animal

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