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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rest — what's left
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fork — in a road
  8. field — farmland
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. field — for sport
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. root — of a plant
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. root — of a word
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. root — the cause
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. patient — a sick person

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