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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: field · drill · staff · date · patient · face · fall · lie

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. staff — employees
  4. field — farmland
  5. drill — a practice
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fall — to drop
  8. drill — army training
  9. face — to confront
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. staff — a stick
  13. field — a subject
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fall — the season
  22. field — for sport
  23. staff — employees
  24. date — the fruit

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