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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: pop · wind · ground · net · racket · foot · bowl · patient

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pop — music
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ground — crushed
  8. net — in sport
  9. ground — the earth
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. ground — a position
  15. net — for catching
  16. wind — moving air
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pop — soda
  19. foot — a measure
  20. net — after costs
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bowl — a football final

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