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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. field — a subject
  5. mark — a trace
  6. spell — letters
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mark — a grade
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wound — an injury
  15. field — farmland
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. field — for sport
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spell — magic
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wound — an injury

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