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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. shower — rain
  5. season — of the year
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. shower — to wash
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. deal — to handle
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. season — in sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. branch — a division
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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