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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 · field · toast · bear · last · arm

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bear — the animal
  4. last — to go on
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. last — final
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. last — finally
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. field — farmland
  18. 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