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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. object — to protest
  4. fork — in a road
  5. last — finally
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. field — farmland
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. prune — to trim
  13. last — to go on
  14. prune — to trim
  15. last — final
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — an aim
  18. field — for sport
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. field — a subject
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. scale — size or range
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. scale — in music

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