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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: staff · sharp · land · field · bark · lean · patient · board

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. board — a committee
  4. staff — employees
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. field — farmland
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. lean — to bend
  9. field — for sport
  10. board — to get on
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. staff — employees
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. field — a subject
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bark — to shout
  20. land — ground
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lean — thin
  23. staff — a stick
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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