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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: mark · pop · straw · season · patient · sharp · field · mouse

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. season — in sport
  5. sharp — clever
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pop — soda
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mark — a grade
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. season — of the year
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pop — to visit
  16. field — a subject
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. field — for sport
  21. pop — music
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. field — farmland
  24. patient — a sick person

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