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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rock — a stone
  3. staff — employees
  4. spell — magic
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. staff — a stick
  8. tear — from crying
  9. field — farmland
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — for sport
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rock — music
  20. staff — employees
  21. ball — a great time
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ball — a dance

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