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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: pitcher · date · game · wake · wave · lie · field · firm

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. game — a match
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. firm — a company
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. firm — decided
  19. field — a subject
  20. date — the fruit
  21. firm — steady
  22. field — farmland
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. field — for sport

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