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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
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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: cell · cold · patient · land · net · can · rock · suit

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. can — to be able to
  7. net — in sport
  8. suit — clothes
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. land — to come down
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. can — a tin
  15. land — ground
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cell — in biology
  19. net — after costs
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — in cards
  22. can — a tin
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. net — for catching

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