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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 124 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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. clip — to cut
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. field — a subject
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. clip — for paper
  15. plane — a tool
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. current — electric
  20. clip — a video
  21. snap — to click
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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