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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 · trunk · rock · pitcher · patient · bat · tear · firm

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. firm — steady
  6. net — after costs
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. firm — decided
  11. bat — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rock — music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. tear — from crying
  19. firm — a company
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rock — a stone
  22. tear — to rip
  23. net — in sport
  24. pitcher — a jug

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