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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 120 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: wake · rule · fan · patient · bound · pitcher · bank · net

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bank — for money
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bound — certain
  10. net — for catching
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. net — after costs
  18. rule — government
  19. bound — obliged
  20. rule — a law
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. net — in sport

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