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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: patient · present · fork · bass · hand · bowl · fall · row

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bass — the fish
  4. fork — in a road
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bass — low music
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hand — in cards
  9. present — there
  10. row — a line
  11. fall — the season
  12. hand — help
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. row — to paddle
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. present — a gift
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bowl — to roll

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