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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. key — for a lock
  3. track — to keep track
  4. tube — the underground
  5. key — in music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. swing — in golf
  11. tube — a container
  12. key — the most important part
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cold — an illness
  15. track — a path
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. swing — music
  19. object — to protest
  20. track — a song
  21. object — an aim
  22. cold — not warm
  23. swing — to play on
  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