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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. perch — the fish
  6. current — happening now
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. current — of water
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. current — electric
  16. spell — magic
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spell — letters
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spell — a short time
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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