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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 · trunk · last · rock · cap · face · saw

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. last — to go on
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cap — of ice
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — final
  8. cap — a lid
  9. face — to point toward
  10. field — a subject
  11. rock — music
  12. last — finally
  13. face — to confront
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. field — farmland
  22. cap — a hat
  23. face — part of the head
  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