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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. roll — a cake
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. field — for sport
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. season — of the year
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. board — a committee
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. roll — a list
  24. board — to get on

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