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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mark — a trace
  7. file — a tool
  8. field — farmland
  9. mark — a grade
  10. file — a line of people
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. club — a group
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. file — a document
  16. club — for dancing
  17. field — a subject
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. club — for golf
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stem — to come from
  24. field — for sport

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