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

Word bank: net · fall · hand · pit · wind · stick · patient · cell

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. net — in sport
  3. pit — a hole
  4. hand — in cards
  5. net — after costs
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pit — in a race
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cell — in biology
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hand — help
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. net — for catching
  21. cell — a phone
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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