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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: saw · plane · bat · patient · staff · fork · pitcher · spell

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. staff — employees
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. spell — letters
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. spell — magic
  20. bat — the animal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. staff — employees
  24. plane — a tool

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