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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
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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: patient · saw · snap · press · wax · band · court · field

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. field — for sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. band — a ring
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. press — a publisher
  9. court — of a king
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. field — farmland
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. press — newspapers
  15. wax — to grow
  16. saw — the tool
  17. court — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. snap — to click
  22. band — a music group
  23. press — to push
  24. wax — for sculpting

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