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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. staff — employees
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pop — soda
  11. shower — to wash
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pop — to visit
  16. field — for sport
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pop — music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. field — a subject
  21. staff — employees
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. shower — rain

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