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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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 — a sick person
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. field — a subject
  9. club — a group
  10. spring — the season
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — farmland
  13. last — finally
  14. lie — to recline
  15. field — for sport
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wax — to grow
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. patient — a sick person
  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