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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: calf · patient · pass · net · bank · tear · bat · prune

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bat — the animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. tear — from crying
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bank — of a river
  10. net — for catching
  11. tear — from crying
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bank — for money
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bank — for money
  20. pass — a permit
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. tear — to rip

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