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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. present — there
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rush — hurry
  9. present — the time now
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. field — farmland
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. march — music
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. object — an aim
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. object — to protest
  18. field — for sport
  19. object — a thing
  20. present — a gift
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. field — a subject
  23. rush — a thrill
  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