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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: net · coach · ground · patient · spring · foot · branch · fan

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. spring — of water
  8. net — after costs
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. net — in sport
  13. ground — the earth
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. branch — a division
  17. spring — a coil
  18. foot — a measure
  19. spring — the season
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. net — for catching
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. ground — a position
  24. foot — part of the body

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