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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 116 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. net — after costs
  3. bank — for money
  4. fall — to drop
  5. current — happening now
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. net — in sport
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mate — to breed
  11. current — electric
  12. net — for catching
  13. mate — a friend
  14. current — of water
  15. fall — the season
  16. bank — for money
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mate — a partner
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. fall — to drop
  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