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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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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: root · ground · wax · firm · saw · field · patient · bowl

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. firm — steady
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. root — the cause
  5. wax — to grow
  6. firm — a company
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. field — for sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. saw — the tool
  11. root — of a plant
  12. saw — the tool
  13. root — of a word
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. ground — crushed
  16. field — farmland
  17. ground — a position
  18. field — a subject
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ground — the earth
  23. firm — decided
  24. bowl — a dish

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