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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: net · bulb · patient · safe · face · bass · game · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. game — wild animals
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. face — to confront
  7. bass — the fish
  8. field — for sport
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. game — a match
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bulb — for light
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bulb — for light
  21. net — after costs
  22. bass — low music
  23. field — farmland
  24. face — to point toward

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