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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: row · toast · pop · fork · firm · net · straw · patient

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. row — a line
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. firm — decided
  5. net — after costs
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. toast — bread
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. pop — soda
  12. fork — in a road
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pop — music
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. firm — a company
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. pop — to visit
  23. row — to paddle
  24. firm — steady

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