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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. land — ground
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. firm — a company
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. land — to come down
  10. season — in sport
  11. spring — a coil
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. stand — to bear
  14. land — a country
  15. foot — a measure
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. spring — the season
  18. field — farmland
  19. firm — steady
  20. spring — of water
  21. field — a subject
  22. season — of the year
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. field — for 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