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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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. patient — a sick person
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. current — of water
  6. field — a subject
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. mug — a face
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wound — an injury
  13. board — a committee
  14. current — electric
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mug — to rob
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. mug — a cup
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. current — happening now
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a hat
  24. field — for sport

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