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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · patient · net · march · field · perch

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. field — farmland
  5. ball — a great time
  6. net — in sport
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. march — the month
  9. ball — a dance
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. net — for catching
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. march — music
  16. net — after costs
  17. march — the month
  18. patient — a sick person

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