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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spell — magic
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. spell — a short time
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. field — for sport
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. field — a subject
  15. fine — high quality
  16. tube — a container
  17. field — farmland
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spell — letters
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. tube — the underground

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