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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. board — to get on
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — a committee
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wound — an injury
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wound — an injury
  22. shower — rain
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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