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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. can — to be able to
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. court — of a king
  7. can — a tin
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. court — of law
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. lean — to bend
  19. court — for sport
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wound — an injury
  22. can — a tin
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lean — thin

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