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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. land — to come down
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. field — a subject
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mark — a grade
  11. land — ground
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. land — a country
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. field — farmland
  23. scale — in music
  24. field — for sport

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