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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: calf · clip · patient · deal · net · shower · swing · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. net — in sport
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. clip — a video
  9. net — after costs
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. deal — to handle
  13. shower — to wash
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bank — for money
  16. net — for catching
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. bank — of a river
  21. swing — to play on
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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