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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: net · craft · jam · cold · roll · rush · patient · bank

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. craft — boats
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bank — of a river
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. net — in sport
  17. roll — a list
  18. bank — for money
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cold — an illness
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bank — for money
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. net — after costs

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