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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · coach · toast · net · patient · field · stick · season

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. toast — bread
  10. bear — the animal
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. net — in sport
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. field — a subject
  18. season — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bear — the animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. net — after costs

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