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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.

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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: field · wake · game · plane · degree · deal · mark · patient

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wake — a trail
  6. game — a match
  7. field — farmland
  8. degree — temperature
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mark — a grade
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. deal — to handle
  16. degree — an amount
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. degree — from a university
  21. game — wild animals
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. mark — a trace
  24. 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