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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. field — a subject
  4. row — to paddle
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. vault — a safe
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. snap — to click
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. field — for sport
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. row — a line

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