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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 124 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. net — for catching
  6. shower — rain
  7. field — a subject
  8. shower — to wash
  9. field — farmland
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. field — for sport
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. net — in sport
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. net — after costs
  24. craft — boats

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