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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. pass — a permit
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. spell — magic
  16. bound — tied together
  17. shower — to wash
  18. craft — a skill
  19. track — a song
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. shower — rain
  22. craft — boats
  23. track — a path
  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