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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: nail · wave · squash · game · patient · field · mark · net

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. net — after costs
  6. field — farmland
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mark — a trace
  12. squash — the sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. mark — a grade
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. field — for sport
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. squash — to crush
  21. net — in sport
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. field — a subject
  24. game — wild animals

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