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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: stand · field · bound · current · ground · file · patient · prune

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. ground — crushed
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. current — electric
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stand — to bear
  9. field — for sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bound — obliged
  15. file — a document
  16. current — happening now
  17. ground — a position
  18. bound — tied together
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bound — certain
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. current — of water
  24. stand — on your feet

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