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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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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: mate · field · wound · patient · deal · bowl · tear · snap

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. snap — to click
  3. wound — an injury
  4. field — farmland
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mate — a partner
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. field — a subject
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. tear — to rip
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. field — for sport
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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