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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 116 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: mark · kid · patient · net · cell · fork · calf · key

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. kid — child
  4. cell — in biology
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. net — in sport
  7. cell — a phone
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mark — a grade
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mark — a trace
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. kid — to tease
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fork — in a road

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