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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
468
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: staff · saw · deal · field · mine · patient · stick · current

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mine — for digging
  3. current — of water
  4. staff — employees
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. deal — to handle
  8. current — electric
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. field — a subject
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. staff — a stick
  15. saw — the tool
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. field — for sport
  21. staff — employees
  22. field — farmland
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. current — happening now

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