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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fork · staff · shower · patient · pitch · current · row · plane

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. current — of water
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. current — electric
  6. shower — rain
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fork — in a road
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. staff — a stick
  11. row — a line
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. row — to paddle
  20. shower — to wash
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. current — happening now

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