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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: field · staff · racket · patient · last · spell · current · deal

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. field — farmland
  3. last — finally
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. field — for sport
  7. deal — to handle
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. last — to go on
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. field — a subject
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. staff — employees
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. staff — a stick
  20. current — of water
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. last — final
  23. staff — employees
  24. racket — for tennis

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