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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. spring — of water
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mate — a friend
  7. press — to push
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. spring — the season
  10. land — a country
  11. field — farmland
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. press — a publisher
  15. spring — a coil
  16. tear — from crying
  17. snap — to click
  18. tear — to rip
  19. land — ground
  20. field — for sport
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. tear — from crying
  23. land — to come down
  24. leaves — lets stay

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