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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mark — a grade
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. mark — a trace
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stem — to come from
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. capital — a city

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