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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: nail · lean · toast · chest · field · patient · game · club

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. chest — a box
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. field — farmland
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. toast — bread
  12. game — wild animals
  13. field — for sport
  14. chest — of your body
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. lean — to bend
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lean — thin
  21. field — a subject
  22. club — for golf
  23. chest — of your body
  24. game — a match

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