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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fine — all right
  5. field — a subject
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. track — a song
  8. rush — hurry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fork — in a road
  14. track — a path
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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