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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: kick · staff · cold · field · patient · bear · coach · temple

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cold — not warm
  4. field — a subject
  5. kick — in football
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bear — the animal
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. staff — employees
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bear — the animal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cold — the Cold War

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