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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: wind · patient · dip · court · staff · net · rest · land

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. net — for catching
  3. dip — to sink
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. net — after costs
  6. rest — what's left
  7. court — of law
  8. land — a country
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rest — a break
  11. staff — employees
  12. land — to come down
  13. court — of a king
  14. wind — moving air
  15. staff — a stick
  16. land — ground
  17. court — for sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. staff — employees
  20. net — in sport
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wind — moving air

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