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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: ground · toast · wave · temple · fan · field · race · patient

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. race — a contest
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. field — a subject
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ground — crushed
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ground — a position
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. field — farmland
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. toast — bread
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ground — the earth
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. race — humankind
  24. wave — with your hand

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