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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. present — there
  3. tube — a container
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. field — farmland
  6. can — a tin
  7. face — to confront
  8. degree — temperature
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. face — to point toward
  11. present — a gift
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. present — the time now
  14. tube — the underground
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. degree — an amount
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. can — to be able to
  20. degree — from a university
  21. field — for sport
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. face — part of the head
  24. field — a subject

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