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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. branch — a division
  5. field — farmland
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mark — a trace
  10. field — a subject
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. shower — rain
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. game — a match
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. shower — to wash
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mark — a grade
  24. stand — to bear

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