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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: field · racket · nail · patient · tube · bass · rock · wax

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. bass — the instrument
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bass — low music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. tube — a container
  7. field — farmland
  8. tube — the underground
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rock — music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wax — to grow
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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