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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: last · stand · patient · field · bark · degree · kid · current

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. last — final
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. kid — child
  8. field — farmland
  9. degree — an amount
  10. kid — to tease
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. current — of water
  13. degree — from a university
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. last — finally
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. current — happening now
  22. degree — temperature
  23. current — electric
  24. stand — on your feet

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