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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: staff · firm · tube · field · can · mark · race · patient

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. can — to be able to
  3. field — a subject
  4. staff — a stick
  5. field — farmland
  6. firm — a company
  7. mark — a grade
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. field — for sport
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. staff — employees
  15. firm — decided
  16. race — humankind
  17. tube — a container
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — the arms race
  20. staff — employees
  21. mark — a trace
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. patient — a sick person

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