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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. field — farmland
  5. race — humankind
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cap — a lid
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bark — to shout
  10. field — a subject
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. season — in sport
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. race — the arms race
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. field — for sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cap — a hat
  24. season — of the year

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