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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 120 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. field — a subject
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bulb — for light
  12. field — farmland
  13. root — of a word
  14. cue — a hint
  15. root — the cause
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. root — of a plant
  18. track — a song
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. track — a path
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bore — to drill

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