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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: game · field · hand · bank · patient · staff · stand · rock

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. rock — a stone
  5. stand — to bear
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. hand — help
  9. bank — for money
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bank — of a river
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. game — a match
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hand — in cards
  18. game — wild animals
  19. field — for sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. rock — music
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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