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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: patient · deal · pound · rock · bound · net · field · mate

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. net — in sport
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rock — a stone
  5. field — for sport
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bound — obliged
  8. mate — to breed
  9. field — farmland
  10. net — for catching
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. field — a subject
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bound — certain
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pound — a weight
  19. net — after costs
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mate — a friend
  23. rock — music
  24. patient — a sick person

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