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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. land — to come down
  3. field — farmland
  4. bank — for money
  5. field — a subject
  6. bank — of a river
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. field — for sport
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. lie — to recline
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. land — a country
  20. kick — in football
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. land — ground
  24. bank — for money

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