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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 116 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mate — a friend
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. shower — rain
  10. ball — a dance
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mate — a partner
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cap — a lid
  20. lean — thin
  21. field — a subject
  22. ball — a great time
  23. lean — to rest against
  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