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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 120 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: field · bank · march · patient · net · bay · bark · pass

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. march — the month
  4. field — a subject
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pass — a permit
  8. field — farmland
  9. net — for catching
  10. bank — of a river
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. march — music
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. march — the month
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — for sport
  21. bank — for money
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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