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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.

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 · net · current · field · bowl · fork · chip · roll

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. net — in sport
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. net — after costs
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. field — a subject
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. field — farmland
  17. fork — in a road
  18. net — for catching
  19. field — for sport
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. current — electric
  22. roll — a cake
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. roll — a list

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