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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. band — a ring
  3. field — for sport
  4. ground — a position
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. deal — to handle
  8. field — a subject
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bulb — for light
  11. band — a music group
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rock — a stone
  14. chair — a leader
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. field — farmland
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rock — music

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