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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: pop · content · spell · field · racket · foot · ball · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. field — for sport
  3. spell — magic
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. content — happy
  7. pop — soda
  8. field — farmland
  9. content — the amount
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pop — music
  13. spell — a short time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pop — to visit
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. ball — a great time
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. ball — a dance
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. field — a subject
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. spell — letters

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