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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. field — farmland
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. staff — employees
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fork — in a road
  7. capital — a city
  8. deal — to handle
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. pound — a weight
  11. staff — employees
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bore — to drill
  15. field — a subject
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. field — for sport
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. capital — money

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