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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rock — a stone
  3. field — for sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rock — music
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. field — farmland
  17. cue — for pool
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — boats
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. field — a subject

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