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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.

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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. scale — in music
  7. staff — employees
  8. mug — a face
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. scale — size or range
  17. staff — employees
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bat — the animal
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. patient — a sick person

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