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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. land — to come down
  4. bank — for money
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. land — ground
  7. bank — of a river
  8. land — a country
  9. field — for sport
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. toast — bread
  15. chip — for betting
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wind — moving air
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bank — for money
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. chip — to eat
  23. field — farmland
  24. patient — a sick person

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