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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: staff · spell · object · can · patient · rush · field · chair

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. staff — a stick
  3. object — a thing
  4. spell — a short time
  5. chair — a leader
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. staff — employees
  9. can — to be able to
  10. object — an aim
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. field — farmland
  16. spell — magic
  17. field — for sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. spell — letters
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — a subject
  22. object — to protest
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. can — a tin

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