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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. field — a subject
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mark — a trace
  8. field — for sport
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. saw — the tool
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mark — a grade
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. field — farmland
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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