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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: leaves · staff · band · bore · patient · field · bear · rest

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. staff — employees
  3. field — farmland
  4. rest — a break
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. staff — a stick
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bear — the animal
  22. band — a music group
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. band — a ring

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