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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. content — happy
  3. field — for sport
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bulb — for light
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. field — a subject
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — farmland
  13. spell — a short time
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. spell — magic
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. spell — letters
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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