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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. field — farmland
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rest — what's left
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lean — thin
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rest — a break
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. row — a line

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