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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 116 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: pass · patient · season · craft · rush · wax · stock · field

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. season — of the year
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. stock — shares
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. craft — a skill
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. field — farmland
  15. season — in sport
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. field — a subject
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rush — hurry
  24. field — for sport

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