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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. firm — decided
  5. bulb — for light
  6. content — happy
  7. season — of the year
  8. field — for sport
  9. object — an aim
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. firm — steady
  12. firm — a company
  13. content — the amount
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bulb — for light
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. season — in sport
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. content — videos and posts
  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