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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: fan · wake · present · patient · net · pitch · arm · drill

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitch — completely
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. net — after costs
  8. present — there
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. net — in sport
  14. drill — army training
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. present — the time now
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wake — a trail
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. drill — a practice
  23. net — for catching
  24. present — a gift

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