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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. field — for sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. wound — an injury
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. root — the cause
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. field — farmland
  17. season — in sport
  18. root — of a word
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. chair — a leader
  21. root — of a plant
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. field — a subject
  24. wound — an injury

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