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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: patient · rock · rush · bank · mine · pitcher · net · court

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. court — of law
  6. net — after costs
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bank — of a river
  10. rock — a stone
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bank — for money
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bank — for money
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for 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