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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 116 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: net · pop · dip · tube · patient · ground · wound · land

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wound — an injury
  5. land — ground
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pop — music
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ground — the earth
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pop — soda
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. tube — a container
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. land — to come down
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. wound — an injury
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ground — crushed
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. net — for catching
  23. ground — a position
  24. land — a country

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