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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 124 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. tube — the underground
  6. field — a subject
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. field — farmland
  10. scale — in music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. root — the cause
  17. field — for sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. root — of a word
  23. bass — low music
  24. wound — an injury

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