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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: snap · dip · bass · bowl · patient · hand · field · jam

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bass — low music
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. field — farmland
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. field — for sport
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. snap — to click
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bass — the fish
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. field — a subject
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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