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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wound — an injury
  8. season — of the year
  9. spell — magic
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. field — for sport
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rule — a law
  18. field — a subject
  19. spell — letters
  20. wound — an injury
  21. field — farmland
  22. season — in sport
  23. rule — government
  24. bass — low music

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