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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 124 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: fork · nail · lie · fall · net · content · squash · patient

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. content — the amount
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lie — to recline
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. squash — the sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fall — the season
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. net — after costs
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fork — in a road

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