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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cap — of ice
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bore — to tire
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rock — a stone
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. bore — to drill
  24. stem — a stem cell

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