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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. march — the month
  7. current — electric
  8. scale — in music
  9. field — farmland
  10. deal — to handle
  11. current — happening now
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. craft — boats
  19. march — music
  20. craft — a skill
  21. march — the month
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. current — of water

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