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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: mine · field · band · patient · date · pit · wave · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. date — the fruit
  3. field — for sport
  4. band — a ring
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pit — in a race
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pit — a hole
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. field — a subject
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. band — a music group
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. field — farmland

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