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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: chair · stand · kick · field · lean · patient · season · wax

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. season — of the year
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. season — in sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. field — for sport
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wax — to grow

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