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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: date · key · spring · patient · field · mate · stand · bass

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. field — farmland
  3. key — in music
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. key — the most important part
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. bass — low music
  9. field — for sport
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mate — a partner
  16. spring — a coil
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bass — the fish
  19. key — for a lock
  20. mate — to breed
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. date — the fruit
  23. patient — a sick person
  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