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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · bowl · mine · wake · spell · racket · field · patient

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. spell — a short time
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mine — for digging
  11. spell — letters
  12. field — farmland
  13. spell — magic
  14. season — in sport
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. field — for sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — a subject
  24. season — of the year

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