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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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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 · race · roll · field · fall · hide · firm · swing

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. firm — steady
  4. swing — music
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — a contest
  7. fall — the season
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. race — humankind
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. roll — a list
  13. field — farmland
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. swing — to play on
  16. firm — decided
  17. fall — to drop
  18. firm — a company
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. roll — a cake
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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