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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cap — a hat
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cap — of ice
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pass — a permit
  9. face — to confront
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. row — a line
  14. field — a subject
  15. face — to point toward
  16. branch — a division
  17. rest — what's left
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. field — farmland
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. row — to paddle
  24. field — for sport

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