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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: ruler · patient · field · cell · fan · content · lean · pitch

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. field — a subject
  3. content — the amount
  4. lean — to bend
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — happy
  8. field — farmland
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cell — a phone
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. field — for sport
  24. lean — thin

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