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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. press — newspapers
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. field — farmland
  10. bark — to shout
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. press — to push
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. wax — to grow
  18. field — a subject
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. field — for sport
  21. game — a match
  22. press — a publisher
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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