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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: hide · season · patient · stock · wave · field · cabinet · deal

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stock — goods
  12. field — farmland
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. field — a subject
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. field — for sport
  19. deal — to handle
  20. stock — shares
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hide — to keep secret

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