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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pop — music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pop — to visit
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. field — a subject
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. field — for sport
  14. pop — soda
  15. pound — a weight
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. fall — the season
  24. patient — a sick person

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