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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 124 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. saw — the tool
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. ground — crushed
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. field — a subject
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. season — of the year
  10. saw — the tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. season — in sport
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. field — farmland
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ground — a position
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. field — for sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. ground — the earth

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