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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
468
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: safe · net · field · hide · bound · lash · wave · patient

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. field — farmland
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — a subject
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bound — certain
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bound — tied together
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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