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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: mine · rock · net · patient · cap · pop · leaves · fork

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pop — soda
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fork — in a road
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. rock — a stone
  11. net — in sport
  12. cap — a hat
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. net — for catching
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. cap — a lid
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  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