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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: net · patient · field · pitcher · object · bay · spell · stem

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. object — an aim
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. net — after costs
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. object — to protest
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. field — farmland
  14. spell — letters
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. spell — a short time
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. spell — magic
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. field — a subject
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. field — for sport
  24. object — a thing

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