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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wound — an injury
  3. net — after costs
  4. field — a subject
  5. object — a thing
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bore — to drill
  8. ground — the earth
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. net — in sport
  12. object — an aim
  13. net — for catching
  14. ground — crushed
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. object — to protest
  18. wound — an injury
  19. field — for sport
  20. ground — a position
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bore — to tire

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