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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: wave · wind · branch · game · field · mug · net · ball

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mug — a cup
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mug — to rob
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. game — a match
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. net — for catching
  17. mug — a face
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — after costs
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ball — a great time

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