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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. clip — to cut
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. field — for sport
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. field — farmland
  8. spring — a coil
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. race — humankind
  13. field — a subject
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. suit — clothes
  19. clip — for paper
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — to fit
  23. clip — a video
  24. temple — a place of worship

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