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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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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 · mate · wound · net · cold · object · craft · fork

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — to protest
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. net — in sport
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. cold — an illness
  18. net — after costs
  19. craft — boats
  20. cold — not warm
  21. object — an aim
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. mate — to breed

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