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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. season — of the year
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bass — low music
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. toast — bread
  15. game — a match
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bass — the fish
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. season — in sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. arm — part of the body

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