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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 120 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: lie · dip · patient · safe · field · face · pitcher · net

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. net — for catching
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. field — a subject
  8. net — in sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. field — for sport
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. lie — to recline
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. net — after costs
  18. dip — to sink
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. face — to confront
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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