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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: fine · field · patient · pit · shower · toast · stem · last

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. stem — of a plant
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. field — a subject
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. last — finally
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. fine — all right
  17. toast — bread
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. field — farmland
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stem — to come from
  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