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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: pass · board · patient · field · land · roll · firm · cell

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. field — for sport
  3. land — a country
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cell — a phone
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. firm — steady
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. firm — decided
  14. board — to get on
  15. roll — a list
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. land — ground
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. firm — a company
  22. land — to come down
  23. field — a subject
  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