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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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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: spring · kick · wave · pass · toast · net · fork · patient

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pass — a permit
  3. net — in sport
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. kick — in football
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. spring — of water
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. fork — in a road
  15. net — after costs
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. spring — a coil
  18. net — for catching
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. spring — the season
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — of the sea

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