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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 116 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 · rash · ground · club · field · cabinet · land · stand

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. ground — a position
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. land — to come down
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. land — ground
  7. stand — to bear
  8. field — farmland
  9. club — a group
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. field — for sport
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. land — a country
  18. field — a subject
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. club — for golf
  21. rash — a series
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. club — for dancing

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