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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. field — a subject
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. prune — to trim
  11. season — of the year
  12. snap — to click
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. field — for sport
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rest — what's left
  17. season — in sport
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. field — farmland
  20. rest — a break
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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