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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: patient · march · net · mark · current · racket · wound · calf

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wound — an injury
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. current — of water
  5. march — the month
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. current — happening now
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. current — electric
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — in sport
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mark — a trace
  20. net — after costs
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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