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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. field — farmland
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. current — electric
  7. deal — to handle
  8. field — a subject
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. current — of water
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. current — happening now
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cold — an illness
  17. net — after costs
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. net — in sport
  21. staff — employees
  22. cold — not warm
  23. field — for sport
  24. leaves — lets stay

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