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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tear — from crying
  4. field — for sport
  5. bulb — for light
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cell — a phone
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cell — in biology
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bulb — for light
  13. spell — letters
  14. drill — army training
  15. spell — a short time
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. field — a subject
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. field — farmland

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