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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ground — the earth
  4. drill — a practice
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stem — to come from
  7. present — there
  8. bat — the animal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. present — the time now
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. present — a gift
  13. drill — army training
  14. ground — a position
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. ground — crushed
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. patient — a sick person
  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