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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. field — a subject
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. board — a committee
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wax — to grow
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. field — for sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. field — farmland
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. ground — a position
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. board — to get on
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wax — for sculpting

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