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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 116 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: coach · race · cell · field · hand · patient · rush · lie

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. race — the arms race
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. race — humankind
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hand — in cards
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. race — a contest
  10. cell — a phone
  11. field — a subject
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. field — farmland
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rush — hurry
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lie — to recline
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cell — in biology
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hand — help

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