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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. march — the month
  4. band — a ring
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bank — of a river
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a music group
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bank — for money
  12. march — the month
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. field — farmland
  18. bank — for money
  19. march — music
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. plane — a tool
  22. field — a subject
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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