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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. track — a song
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. field — for sport
  7. land — a country
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. craft — boats
  12. track — to keep track
  13. scale — in music
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. field — a subject
  18. scale — size or range
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. track — a path
  23. craft — a skill
  24. patient — a sick person

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