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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. field — a subject
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. face — to confront
  6. field — for sport
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. face — part of the head
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. current — of water
  13. wound — an injury
  14. current — electric
  15. craft — a skill
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. face — to point toward
  22. field — farmland
  23. craft — boats
  24. wound — an injury

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