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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 120 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: snap · patient · rush · chair · net · plane · dip · fine

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fine — high quality
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chair — a leader
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fine — all right
  17. dip — to sink
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rush — hurry
  21. snap — to click
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. net — for catching

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