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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 116 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. land — to come down
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. pit — in a race
  9. land — ground
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pit — a hole
  16. land — a country
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. scale — in music
  23. field — farmland
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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