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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: arm · net · patient · rush · current · bank · land · tear

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. bank — for money
  4. tear — from crying
  5. net — for catching
  6. bank — for money
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. current — electric
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. current — happening now
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. tear — from crying
  16. current — of water
  17. land — ground
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. tear — to rip
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bank — of a river
  24. arm — part of the body

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