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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · game · cell · patient · foot · leaves · field · scale

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cell — in biology
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to sink
  5. field — for sport
  6. scale — size or range
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. scale — in music
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. foot — a measure
  12. game — wild animals
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — a match
  16. field — a subject
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. field — farmland
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cell — a phone
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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