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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: cabinet · wake · net · patient · rash · lie · branch · fork

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rash — hasty
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. branch — a division
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wake — a trail
  13. net — in sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rash — a series
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. net — for catching
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. lie — to recline
  24. net — after costs

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