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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: can · patient · hide · mark · field · mug · row · net

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. field — for sport
  5. row — a line
  6. can — a tin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. can — to be able to
  11. net — after costs
  12. field — farmland
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mug — a face
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mug — to rob
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. can — a tin
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. field — a subject

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