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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  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. field — farmland
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. field — a subject
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. ground — a position
  11. mug — a face
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bound — certain
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. field — for sport
  23. mug — a cup
  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