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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 120 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: field · saw · hide · lash · rest · stem · patient · march

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. field — a subject
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rest — a break
  5. march — the month
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. field — for sport
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. field — farmland
  11. rest — what's left
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. march — music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stem — to come from
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. march — the month
  24. saw — the tool

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