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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. pitch — completely
  4. spell — magic
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. field — a subject
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. spring — a coil
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. spring — of water
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. spring — the season
  21. spell — a short time
  22. field — for sport
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. spell — letters

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