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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. staff — employees
  8. stock — shares
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stem — to come from
  12. ball — a dance
  13. tube — the underground
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. staff — employees
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. staff — a stick
  23. stock — goods
  24. plane — a tool

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