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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.

Words on the sheet
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: net · kid · cold · can · branch · lean · racket · patient

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cold — an illness
  4. can — a tin
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. net — in sport
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. can — a tin
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. kid — child
  13. lean — thin
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. kid — to tease
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lean — to bend
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. net — for catching
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cold — not warm

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