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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. plane — a tool
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cap — a hat
  6. field — farmland
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. mug — a cup
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rock — music
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rash — a series
  24. mug — a face

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