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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: bay · rush · roll · game · patient · net · band · content

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. game — wild animals
  5. roll — a cake
  6. game — a match
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. band — a ring
  9. roll — a list
  10. content — the amount
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. net — in sport
  15. rush — hurry
  16. net — for catching
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. band — a music group
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. content — happy
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. net — after costs
  24. band — a rubber band

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