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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bank — for money
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. field — a subject
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bark — to shout
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bank — for money
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. field — farmland
  24. bank — of a river

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