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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. drill — army training
  8. key — in music
  9. drill — the tool
  10. field — a subject
  11. capital — money
  12. prune — to trim
  13. field — for sport
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. saw — the tool
  17. capital — a city
  18. field — farmland
  19. saw — the tool
  20. key — for a lock
  21. season — in sport
  22. key — the most important part
  23. drill — a practice
  24. season — of the year

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