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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: field · wake · patient · season · squash · wave · rule · last

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. last — to go on
  11. field — a subject
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. season — in sport
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wake — a trail
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rule — a law
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. last — finally
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. season — of the year
  24. last — final

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