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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. craft — boats
  5. can — a tin
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. field — for sport
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bear — the animal
  16. craft — a skill
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. field — farmland
  19. bear — the animal
  20. field — a subject
  21. can — to be able to
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — high quality
  24. spring — of water

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