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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: patient · bay · cap · date · stand · nail · field · chip

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. cap — of ice
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. field — for sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. stand — to bear
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. date — the fruit
  21. chip — to eat
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stand — on your feet

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