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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: bass · field · season · sharp · patient · present · stem · stick

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. present — there
  6. field — for sport
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bass — low music
  9. field — farmland
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. present — a gift
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bass — the fish
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. field — a subject
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. present — the time now
  24. season — in sport

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