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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: hide · plane · stick · snap · patient · mine · fork · saw

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. fork — in a road
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. snap — to click
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. plane — a tool
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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