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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: mate · spring · wind · plane · craft · date · fork · patient

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wind — moving air
  7. craft — a skill
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. craft — boats
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. date — the fruit
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mate — a partner
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. spring — the season
  19. plane — a tool
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fork — a garden tool

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