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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: patient · pass · mine · fan · trunk · fork · roll · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mine — for digging
  11. roll — a cake
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. firm — decided
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. fork — in a road
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. roll — a list

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