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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. court — of law
  3. staff — employees
  4. field — a subject
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. staff — employees
  7. drill — a practice
  8. court — for sport
  9. drill — the tool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. can — a tin
  12. stem — to come from
  13. court — of a king
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. staff — a stick
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pound — a weight
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. drill — army training
  24. can — a tin

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