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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: land · bulb · ball · field · fan · mark · firm · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bulb — for light
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. field — a subject
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. land — ground
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. firm — a company
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. firm — steady
  16. land — to come down
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. land — a country
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mark — a trace
  21. firm — decided
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mark — a grade

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