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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 116 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: patient · rush · stem · fork · wind · net · wake · pass

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. wake — a trail
  10. rush — hurry
  11. fork — in a road
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pass — a permit
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. net — in sport

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