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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. tear — to rip
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. charge — a price
  5. tear — from crying
  6. field — farmland
  7. rash — hasty
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. charge — in control
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. field — a subject
  15. charge — electricity
  16. tear — from crying
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. field — for sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. ground — the earth

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