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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · patient · rush · sharp · spring · arm · date · racket

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spring — the season
  13. date — the fruit
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. sharp — clever

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