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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — for sport
  3. prune — to trim
  4. land — a country
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. prune — to trim
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. field — a subject
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. land — ground
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — farmland
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. deal — to handle
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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