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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: field · mouse · charge · stand · patient · coach

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. charge — electricity
  6. field — farmland
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. field — for sport
  9. charge — in control
  10. stand — to bear
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. field — a subject
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. charge — a price
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal

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