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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: bear · rush · field · track · dip · ground · hand · patient

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. track — a song
  4. field — for sport
  5. track — to keep track
  6. field — a subject
  7. dip — to sink
  8. ground — a position
  9. hand — help
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. hand — in cards
  12. field — farmland
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rush — hurry
  15. track — a path
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. ground — the earth
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  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