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

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. key — in music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. toast — bread
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. key — the most important part
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spring — of water
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. clip — a video
  14. field — for sport
  15. spring — a coil
  16. key — for a lock
  17. field — a subject
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. clip — to cut
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spring — the season
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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