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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. field — a subject
  10. hand — help
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. tube — the underground
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bat — the animal
  17. tube — a container
  18. track — to keep track
  19. field — farmland
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — for sport
  22. track — a path
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. track — a song

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