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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: net · mark · wave · fine · content · pound · patient · hand

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. content — happy
  5. net — after costs
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fine — all right
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mark — a trace
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. content — the amount
  20. net — in sport
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mark — a grade
  23. hand — help
  24. content — videos and posts

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