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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. field — farmland
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. field — a subject
  15. saw — the tool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. squash — to crush
  19. field — for sport
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. squash — the sport
  23. shower — rain
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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