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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: wind · wake · field · snap · racket · current · saw · patient

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wake — a trail
  3. field — for sport
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. current — of water
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. current — electric
  8. field — a subject
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — moving air
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. saw — the tool
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wind — moving air
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. field — farmland
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. saw — the tool
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. current — happening now
  24. wind — to turn a key

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