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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. present — the time now
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — steady
  6. present — a gift
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. field — for sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. band — a ring
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. present — there
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. wind — moving air
  17. band — a music group
  18. field — farmland
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. firm — decided
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. field — a subject

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