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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.

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: rash · bear · pitcher · kick · land · patient · trunk · net

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rash — a series
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. land — to come down
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — hasty
  15. net — in sport
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. land — ground
  19. kick — in football
  20. land — a country
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. trunk — of a car

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