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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 120 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. prune — to trim
  4. present — there
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. present — a gift
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. field — for sport
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. prune — to trim
  17. present — the time now
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pit — in a race
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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