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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · tube · land · cell · net · fan · snap · bass

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. land — a country
  6. bass — the fish
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cell — in biology
  13. net — for catching
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bass — low music
  18. net — after costs
  19. land — ground
  20. net — in sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. snap — to click
  23. tube — a container
  24. cell — in a prison

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