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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 120 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: bank · wave · squash · chest · field · patient · bat · craft

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. craft — a skill
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bank — for money
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. craft — boats
  17. chest — a box
  18. bank — for money
  19. field — a subject
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bank — of a river
  23. chest — of your body
  24. squash — the sport

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