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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bulb — for light
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. swing — to play on
  8. field — for sport
  9. prune — to trim
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. current — electric
  14. prune — to trim
  15. swing — in golf
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. march — music
  18. current — happening now
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. current — of water
  21. swing — music
  22. net — after costs
  23. bulb — for light
  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