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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: patient · leaves · staff · field · charge · kid · club · bat

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. staff — a stick
  3. field — a subject
  4. staff — employees
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. kid — child
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. kid — to tease
  11. field — for sport
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. field — farmland
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. charge — a price
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. staff — employees
  19. bat — the animal
  20. club — for dancing
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. charge — in control
  24. club — a group

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