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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: roll · kick · patient · coach · dip · field · spell · sharp

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. field — a subject
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. sharp — clever
  5. field — farmland
  6. spell — letters
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spell — magic
  10. roll — a list
  11. field — for sport
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. dip — to sink
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. spell — a short time
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. roll — a cake
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. kick — in football
  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