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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: root · swing · hide · wound · patient · stand · present · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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. patient — calm and waiting
  4. present — a gift
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. swing — to play on
  9. root — the cause
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. net — for catching
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. net — in sport
  18. root — of a word
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stand — to bear
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — there
  24. root — of a plant

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