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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. field — a subject
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. wound — an injury
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. field — for sport
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spring — the season
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. court — of a king
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. field — farmland
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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