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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: patient · fork · plane · wave · chair · field · foot · present

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. present — a gift
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. plane — a tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. foot — a measure
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fork — in a road
  11. field — farmland
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. field — for sport
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. present — the time now
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. present — there
  22. field — a subject
  23. chair — a leader
  24. plane — an aircraft

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