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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 · mark · hand · present · field · file · bay · swing

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. file — a tool
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. swing — music
  4. present — a gift
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. field — farmland
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. file — a line of people
  10. swing — in golf
  11. present — the time now
  12. hand — help
  13. present — there
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. swing — to play on
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. hand — in cards
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mark — a grade
  21. field — a subject
  22. mark — a trace
  23. file — a document
  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