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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. present — a gift
  7. field — for sport
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. band — a music group
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. can — a tin
  14. present — the time now
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. dip — to sink
  19. band — a ring
  20. can — to be able to
  21. key — in music
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. present — there
  24. can — a tin

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