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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. field — a subject
  3. clip — a video
  4. tube — a container
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bear — the animal
  9. field — for sport
  10. tube — the underground
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. clip — for paper
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rock — music
  17. cap — a hat
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cap — a lid
  21. clip — to cut
  22. field — farmland
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cap — of ice

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