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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: field · last · fine · swing · prune · patient · wave · root

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. swing — in golf
  7. last — finally
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. root — of a word
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. root — of a plant
  16. fine — all right
  17. last — final
  18. fine — high quality
  19. swing — music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — for sport
  24. root — the cause

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