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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. field — for sport
  4. last — final
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bulb — for light
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. snap — to click
  12. bulb — for light
  13. field — farmland
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. tear — from crying
  16. last — finally
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. field — a subject
  20. last — to go on
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. ruler — for measuring

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