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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: charge · chest · patient · net · fork · degree · row · stand

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. row — to paddle
  3. net — after costs
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. degree — from a university
  6. net — for catching
  7. row — a line
  8. charge — in control
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. charge — a price
  13. stand — to bear
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fork — in a road
  17. chest — a box
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. degree — temperature
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chest — of your body
  23. charge — electricity
  24. degree — an amount

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