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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: lean · field · patient · fall · foot · coach · chair · stem

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. chair — a leader
  11. field — for sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. fall — to drop
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. lean — to bend
  19. field — farmland
  20. lean — thin
  21. fall — the season
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. foot — a measure
  24. field — a subject

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