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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: saw · patient · calf · season · game · ruler · root · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. season — in sport
  4. game — a match
  5. root — the cause
  6. saw — the tool
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — in sport
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. root — of a plant
  13. game — wild animals
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. season — of the year
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. net — after costs
  21. root — of a word
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. patient — a sick person

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