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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: sharp · branch · patient · stem · date · field · fan · court

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. court — for sport
  5. branch — a division
  6. field — for sport
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. court — of a king
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stem — to come from
  12. sharp — clever
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. court — of law
  17. date — the fruit
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. field — farmland

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