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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. staff — employees
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. staff — a stick
  18. fall — the season
  19. staff — employees
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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