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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. field — a subject
  3. craft — a skill
  4. season — in sport
  5. staff — employees
  6. lean — thin
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. craft — boats
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lean — to bend
  12. staff — employees
  13. root — of a word
  14. staff — a stick
  15. season — of the year
  16. field — farmland
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. field — for sport
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. lean — to rest against

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