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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. field — farmland
  4. file — a document
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. file — a line of people
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. field — for sport
  10. ball — a great time
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. squash — to crush
  13. ball — a dance
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. field — a subject
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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