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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. key — in music
  3. field — a subject
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. scale — in music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. field — for sport
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rush — hurry
  10. spell — letters
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. scale — size or range
  13. key — for a lock
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. field — farmland
  16. spell — magic
  17. key — the most important part
  18. spell — a short time

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