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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: club · net · patient · spring · deal · date · stand · racket

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. stand — to bear
  4. net — for catching
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. club — for dancing
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. net — in sport
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. date — the fruit
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spring — the season
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. deal — to handle
  21. net — after costs
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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