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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. field — a subject
  10. spell — letters
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. field — farmland
  13. fork — in a road
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bank — for money
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bank — for money
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bank — of a river
  24. fork — a garden tool

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