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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: content · wave · mark · pitch · field · craft · hide · patient

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. mark — a trace
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. content — the amount
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. craft — boats
  12. field — farmland
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. mark — a grade
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. content — happy
  20. craft — a skill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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