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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: patient · mark · rush · field · coach · ground · stem · jam

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. ground — crushed
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. field — a subject
  11. ground — the earth
  12. field — for sport
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. ground — a position
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. field — farmland
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mark — a grade
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. mark — a trace
  24. coach — a trainer

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