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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. pop — soda
  5. row — a line
  6. bore — to tire
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spring — the season
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. field — a subject
  12. row — to paddle
  13. court — of a king
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. spring — a coil
  16. field — farmland
  17. pop — music
  18. court — for sport
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bore — to drill
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spring — of water

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