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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rash — hasty
  5. plane — a tool
  6. rash — a series
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. field — farmland
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. field — for sport
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. field — a subject
  19. snap — to click
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rock — music
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mate — a friend

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