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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lean — to bend
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mug — to rob
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wake — a trail
  13. field — for sport
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. chair — a leader
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mug — a face
  18. ball — a great time
  19. lean — thin
  20. current — of water
  21. ball — a dance
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. mug — a cup

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