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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: arm · dip · date · net · patient · capital · saw · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. date — the fruit
  4. capital — a city
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. saw — the tool
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. net — in sport
  11. dip — to sink
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. capital — money
  16. roll — a list
  17. net — for catching
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. net — after costs
  21. saw — the tool
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. arm — a part of something

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