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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: fan · field · deal · charge · land · cold · patient · track

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. charge — in control
  9. cold — an illness
  10. field — for sport
  11. track — a path
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. deal — to handle
  15. track — a song
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — a subject
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cold — not warm
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. land — ground
  24. field — farmland

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