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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: bay · fine · cell · wake · patient · field · mine · cabinet

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. field — a subject
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. field — farmland
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. cell — in biology
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — for sport
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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