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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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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: patient · fork · field · branch · wave · lie · racket · last

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. field — farmland
  3. last — finally
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. field — a subject
  13. last — to go on
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. field — for sport
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. last — final
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fork — in a road

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