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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: field · patient · game · face · deal · chair · firm · stem

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. field — farmland
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. game — wild animals
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — to handle
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stem — to come from
  12. face — to point toward
  13. firm — a company
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. firm — decided
  17. game — a match
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. firm — steady
  24. face — to confront

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