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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chest — of your body
  3. track — to keep track
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. content — happy
  6. staff — a stick
  7. land — a country
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. chest — a box
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. track — a path
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. track — a song
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. content — the amount
  23. chest — of your body
  24. leaves — of a tree

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