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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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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: patient · temple · field · squash · wind · board · stick · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wind — moving air
  4. field — a subject
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. wind — moving air
  12. field — for sport
  13. drill — a practice
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. field — farmland
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. squash — the sport
  21. drill — the tool
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. squash — to crush

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