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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. field — farmland
  6. rest — what's left
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tube — the underground
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rest — a break
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. tube — a container
  20. vault — a safe
  21. race — a contest
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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