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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. band — a music group
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. chest — a box
  9. field — a subject
  10. rock — a stone
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. chest — of your body
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rock — music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bass — low music
  24. safe — out of danger

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