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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: cabinet · branch · current · patient · ground · net · pitcher · pit

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. current — of water
  3. pit — in a race
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ground — the earth
  6. branch — a division
  7. net — for catching
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. current — electric
  10. ground — a position
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — crushed
  13. current — happening now
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — after costs
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pit — a hole
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. net — in sport

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