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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. key — in music
  3. field — a subject
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. land — ground
  7. key — for a lock
  8. land — to come down
  9. wax — to grow
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. field — farmland
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. field — for sport
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. land — a country
  24. key — the most important part

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