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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mug — a face
  8. chest — a box
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. branch — a division
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bat — the animal
  21. stem — to come from
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. chair — a leader

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