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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. field — a subject
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. hand — in cards
  5. field — farmland
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mine — for digging
  8. field — for sport
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hand — help
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rest — what's left
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. board — a committee
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rest — a break
  24. board — to get on

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