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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fan · stem · file · patient · wound · lash · degree

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. degree — an amount
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. file — a tool
  9. field — a subject
  10. degree — temperature
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. field — for sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. degree — from a university
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. field — farmland

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