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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: hand · date · rush · patient · bowl · net · pop · bank

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bank — for money
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pop — music
  7. net — after costs
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. date — the fruit
  12. net — for catching
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bank — of a river
  16. pop — soda
  17. bank — for money
  18. hand — help
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. hand — in cards
  24. net — in sport

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