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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: object · ground · net · mouse · branch · race · patient · fork

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. ground — crushed
  4. net — in sport
  5. ground — the earth
  6. object — a thing
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. object — to protest
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. race — the arms race
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. race — a contest
  18. branch — a division
  19. object — an aim
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. race — humankind
  23. fork — in a road
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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