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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: dip · pass · wake · patient · spring · cell · fork · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wake — a trail
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mark — a trace
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spring — of water
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. dip — to sink
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wake — before a funeral

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