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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wind — moving air
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bank — of a river
  7. field — for sport
  8. staff — a stick
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bank — for money
  11. drill — a practice
  12. field — farmland
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bank — for money
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. drill — army training
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. field — a subject
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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