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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: field · date · last · hide · cabinet · patient · mouse · spell

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. spell — magic
  4. last — finally
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. field — for sport
  10. spell — letters
  11. field — a subject
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. date — the fruit
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spell — a short time
  17. last — to go on
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. last — final
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. date — on the calendar

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