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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. field — a subject
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cell — a phone
  10. root — of a word
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mug — to rob
  13. fine — high quality
  14. field — for sport
  15. mug — a face
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mug — a cup
  19. root — of a plant
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. fine — all right
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. root — the cause

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