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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: patient · cap · scale · fan · net · spell · racket · ground

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. net — after costs
  3. cap — a hat
  4. net — for catching
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. net — in sport
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. scale — in music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. spell — letters
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spell — a short time
  14. ground — the earth
  15. spell — magic
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. cap — a lid
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. cap — of ice

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