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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bank — for money
  4. fall — to drop
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fall — the season
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. kid — child
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wind — moving air
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bank — of a river
  14. net — in sport
  15. kid — to tease
  16. drill — army training
  17. fall — to drop
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — for catching
  22. bank — for money
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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