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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rush — hurry
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mate — a friend
  8. field — farmland
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. field — a subject
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bound — tied together
  13. can — a tin
  14. bound — obliged
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. field — for sport
  17. bound — certain
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mate — a partner

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