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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · coach · wax · field · rest · patient · root · drill

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. root — of a plant
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rest — a break
  5. wax — to grow
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ground — a position
  8. field — farmland
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. field — for sport
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. root — of a word
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rest — what's left
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. drill — a practice
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. root — the cause
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rest — what's left
  23. drill — army training
  24. wax — in the ear

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