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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. field — farmland
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. suit — to fit
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. club — for golf
  9. hand — help
  10. club — for dancing
  11. field — a subject
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. suit — clothes
  17. club — a group
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. field — for sport
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. hand — in cards
  24. plane — a tool

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