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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 120 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: patient · leaves · ball · field · rush · temple · object · staff

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ball — a great time
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. ball — a dance
  6. field — for sport
  7. staff — employees
  8. object — to protest
  9. field — farmland
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. staff — a stick
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. object — a thing
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. staff — employees
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — a subject
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. object — an aim

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