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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: kid · press · patient · stem · suit · safe · field · hand

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. press — newspapers
  4. field — a subject
  5. suit — clothes
  6. field — for sport
  7. hand — help
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. suit — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stem — to come from
  12. press — to push
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hand — in cards
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. suit — to fit
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. patient — a sick person

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