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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rock — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. swing — to play on
  9. craft — a skill
  10. field — farmland
  11. spell — magic
  12. rock — a stone
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. rush — hurry
  16. field — a subject
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. field — for sport
  19. craft — boats
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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