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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pit — in a race
  7. staff — employees
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. staff — a stick
  15. spring — the season
  16. staff — employees
  17. pit — a hole
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. spring — a coil
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. field — a subject
  23. last — final
  24. patient — a sick person

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