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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: fan · season · court · patient · drill · mug · net · bank

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. drill — army training
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. net — in sport
  9. mug — a face
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — in sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. net — for catching
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mug — to rob
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mug — a cup
  18. season — of the year
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. court — for sport
  21. bank — for money
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. court — of law

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