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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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468
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 · net · bark · pitch · roll · current · stick · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. roll — a list
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pitch — completely
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. net — in sport
  12. roll — a cake
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. net — for catching
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. current — of water
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. net — after costs
  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