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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: fork · patient · date · lash · scale · clip · snap · wake

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. snap — to click
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. date — the fruit
  11. scale — size or range
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wake — a trail
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. clip — to cut
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. clip — a video
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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