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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. field — farmland
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. branch — a division
  7. drill — the tool
  8. field — for sport
  9. root — the cause
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. field — a subject
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. drill — army training
  21. bulb — for light
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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