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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 116 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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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 · mug · field · perch · cap · pound · bank · wax

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. field — for sport
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bank — for money
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wax — to grow
  11. cap — a hat
  12. field — a subject
  13. perch — the fish
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bank — for money
  18. field — farmland
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mug — a face
  22. bank — of a river
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cap — of ice

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