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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 120 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: race · fine · field · patient · mug · present · foot · wind

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. present — the time now
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. mug — a cup
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. fine — high quality
  8. race — humankind
  9. present — there
  10. mug — a face
  11. wind — moving air
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wind — moving air
  14. field — farmland
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mug — to rob
  17. race — a contest
  18. fine — all right
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. foot — a measure
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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