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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: track · patient · field · cold · fall · fine · bay · charge

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fall — to drop
  4. track — a path
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. charge — electricity
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. charge — in control
  18. fall — the season
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. field — a subject
  24. charge — a price

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