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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. net — after costs
  5. band — a music group
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. dip — to sink
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. band — a ring
  11. field — a subject
  12. net — in sport
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. can — a tin
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — for catching
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. can — a tin

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