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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. field — farmland
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. shower — to wash
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. band — a ring
  11. pass — a permit
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. field — a subject
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. band — a music group
  17. shower — rain
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wound — an injury
  22. field — for sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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