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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 120 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: patient · lash · kick · saw · march · ball · fork · spell

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. spell — a short time
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. spell — magic
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. ball — a dance
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spell — letters
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. march — music
  24. ball — a great time

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