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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. club — a group
  4. field — farmland
  5. land — to come down
  6. field — a subject
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. field — for sport
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. swing — in golf
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. land — ground
  13. club — for dancing
  14. swing — music
  15. club — for golf
  16. land — a country
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mark — a trace
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. swing — to play on

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