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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: cabinet · field · patient · lie · ground · fork · season · lean

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. ground — a position
  7. lie — to recline
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. field — for sport
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ground — the earth
  12. field — a subject
  13. season — of the year
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lean — thin
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. field — farmland
  24. season — in sport

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