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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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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: nail · field · patient · stick · deal · rest · date · shower

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. shower — rain
  9. rest — what's left
  10. shower — to wash
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. field — for sport
  13. deal — to handle
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rest — a break
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. field — farmland
  20. rest — what's left
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. patient — a sick person

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