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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: net · stand · nail · cold · craft · field · lean · patient

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. craft — boats
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. field — a subject
  6. stand — to bear
  7. lean — to bend
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. field — farmland
  12. lean — thin
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. field — for sport
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. net — for catching
  17. cold — not warm
  18. craft — a skill
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. craft — a handicraft

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