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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.

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: patient · cap · ground · field · bear · current · toast · prune

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. ground — a position
  4. cap — of ice
  5. toast — bread
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. cap — a hat
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ground — the earth
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cap — a lid
  21. current — electric
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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