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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rock — music
  4. ground — a position
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rest — what's left
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. ground — crushed
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bound — certain
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  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