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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
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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 · mate · net · key · patient · field · cap · stand

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cap — a lid
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. field — a subject
  10. mate — a friend
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mate — to breed
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. key — in music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. net — in sport
  18. field — for sport
  19. key — for a lock
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — farmland
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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