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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: bear · field · net · spring · bore · patient · straw · wave

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. field — a subject
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — the season
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. field — for sport
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. net — after costs
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. field — farmland
  18. bear — the animal
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — in 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