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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: fork · present · patient · game · wake · face · object · kid

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. present — the time now
  4. object — an aim
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fork — in a road
  8. present — there
  9. face — part of the head
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. face — to confront
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — to protest
  17. kid — child
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. present — a gift
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. game — a match
  24. patient — a sick person

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