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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. band — a ring
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. band — a music group
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. cell — in biology
  22. field — farmland
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cue — a hint

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