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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. staff — employees
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. spring — the season
  7. present — there
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. present — a gift
  10. ball — a great time
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. present — the time now
  16. staff — employees
  17. spring — a coil
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. field — farmland
  20. squash — to crush
  21. spring — of water
  22. squash — the sport
  23. staff — a stick
  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