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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: mug · wind · root · field · hand · patient · staff · rush

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rush — hurry
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. root — of a word
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. field — for sport
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. hand — in cards
  11. root — of a plant
  12. staff — a stick
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mug — a face
  15. root — the cause
  16. mug — to rob
  17. hand — help
  18. field — farmland
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wind — moving air
  23. field — a subject
  24. wind — to turn a key

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