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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rest — what's left
  3. field — a subject
  4. club — a group
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. rest — what's left
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rest — a break
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — for sport
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. stem — to come from
  21. capital — a city
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  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