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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: patient · march · field · bound · stand · file · lean · calf

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. bound — certain
  6. stand — to bear
  7. march — the month
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. file — a line of people
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. field — a subject
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bound — obliged
  19. file — a document
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. file — a tool
  24. bound — tied together

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