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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. can — to be able to
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mate — to breed
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. root — of a plant
  10. court — for sport
  11. deal — to handle
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. wound — an injury
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mate — a partner
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. row — a line
  20. mate — a friend
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. wound — an injury
  24. row — to paddle

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