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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lie — to recline
  3. land — a country
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — decided
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bulb — for light
  14. land — to come down
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. firm — steady
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. field — farmland
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. land — ground
  22. field — for sport
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wake — a trail

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