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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · patient · bear · wound · rash · rock · field · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — a phone
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cue — a hint
  11. rash — a series
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. field — a subject
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. field — for sport
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — music
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. field — farmland
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cue — for pool

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