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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. field — farmland
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cell — a phone
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. field — for sport
  17. pop — music
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. date — the fruit
  24. safe — a strongbox

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