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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. field — for sport
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bore — to drill
  6. charge — a price
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chest — a box
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — in control
  15. mine — for digging
  16. field — a subject
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rash — a series
  19. tear — from crying
  20. field — farmland
  21. rash — hasty
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bore — gave birth

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